Concern at proposed Water Act
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
FE Report
Lawmakers, development actors and academics have criticised the government move to limit people's right to access to water by allowing commercial entities in management of the national resources. No private company should be given the responsibility of management of a national resource like water which is a public property, they observed at a discussion Monday on the draft of the proposed Water Act, prepared by the ministry of water resources. The discussants also expressed the view that it was a ploy by the international lending agencies like World Bank (WB), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) to commercialise the operations in water supply and management in Bangladesh in the name of ensuring people's right to water. They vowed to resist passage of any such 'anti-people' law in Parliament. "The so-called Water Act was drafted by the ADB during the two years' rule of an army-backed caretaker administration, and the draft drew flak from different quarters," Rashed Khan Menon, a lawmaker belonging to the Awami League-led coalition, told the dialogue organised by a group of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) at CIRDAP auditorium. He said Bangladesh needs a water act just to ensure people's basic needs, not to curtail their rights. "We will definitely raise the issue before any bill of this nature is moved in Parliament," Menon, also the president of Workers Party of Bangladesh, said. The passage of a donors'-prescribed law will grossly violate people's fundamental rights as water is one of the basic needs of the people, added the veteran politician. Hasanul Huq Inu, another lawmaker of the coalition government, said the nation is yet to reach a consensus on a crucial issue like water. "The Water Policy should be meant for management, not for control," he said, adding, the proposed law is seemingly meant for establishing control over people, not to ensure their right. The draft has proposed provisions of licence on water which will curtail the right to access to water, he said. Mr Inu, the president of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), said he will raise his voice if any such bill, prepared by foreign experts and donors, is ever placed in parliament. "No such bill should be introduced in parliament as Bangladesh has earned much expertise over the last 40 years to formulate a law," he suggested. Pani Odhikar Forum, comprised of a number of NGOs, organised the discussion titled 'Draft Water Act and People's Right to Water: Citizens' Opinion and Proposal'. AKM Masud Ali, executive director of Incidin Bangladesh, presented the key-note paper while Nijera Kori Executive Director Khushi Kabir moderated the discussion. Executive Director of Nari Progati Sangha Rokeya Kabir said all the poverty alleviation programmes are meant to ensure fulfilment of basic needs. "The ruling Awami League had pledged to ensure people's basic needs in their election manifesto," she said, adding, "If water becomes that need, it cannot be privatised in the context of Bangladesh."
Lawmakers, development actors and academics have criticised the government move to limit people's right to access to water by allowing commercial entities in management of the national resources. No private company should be given the responsibility of management of a national resource like water which is a public property, they observed at a discussion Monday on the draft of the proposed Water Act, prepared by the ministry of water resources. The discussants also expressed the view that it was a ploy by the international lending agencies like World Bank (WB), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) to commercialise the operations in water supply and management in Bangladesh in the name of ensuring people's right to water. They vowed to resist passage of any such 'anti-people' law in Parliament. "The so-called Water Act was drafted by the ADB during the two years' rule of an army-backed caretaker administration, and the draft drew flak from different quarters," Rashed Khan Menon, a lawmaker belonging to the Awami League-led coalition, told the dialogue organised by a group of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) at CIRDAP auditorium. He said Bangladesh needs a water act just to ensure people's basic needs, not to curtail their rights. "We will definitely raise the issue before any bill of this nature is moved in Parliament," Menon, also the president of Workers Party of Bangladesh, said. The passage of a donors'-prescribed law will grossly violate people's fundamental rights as water is one of the basic needs of the people, added the veteran politician. Hasanul Huq Inu, another lawmaker of the coalition government, said the nation is yet to reach a consensus on a crucial issue like water. "The Water Policy should be meant for management, not for control," he said, adding, the proposed law is seemingly meant for establishing control over people, not to ensure their right. The draft has proposed provisions of licence on water which will curtail the right to access to water, he said. Mr Inu, the president of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), said he will raise his voice if any such bill, prepared by foreign experts and donors, is ever placed in parliament. "No such bill should be introduced in parliament as Bangladesh has earned much expertise over the last 40 years to formulate a law," he suggested. Pani Odhikar Forum, comprised of a number of NGOs, organised the discussion titled 'Draft Water Act and People's Right to Water: Citizens' Opinion and Proposal'. AKM Masud Ali, executive director of Incidin Bangladesh, presented the key-note paper while Nijera Kori Executive Director Khushi Kabir moderated the discussion. Executive Director of Nari Progati Sangha Rokeya Kabir said all the poverty alleviation programmes are meant to ensure fulfilment of basic needs. "The ruling Awami League had pledged to ensure people's basic needs in their election manifesto," she said, adding, "If water becomes that need, it cannot be privatised in the context of Bangladesh."