Water issue remains unresolved

Water issue remains unresolved

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali

The United Nations meeting on sustainable development in Bali now
has another stumbling block to clear as the debate on water
issues remained unresolved during the senior officials meeting.

It is likely to be brought directly into the ministerial
meeting beginning Wednesday.

After a long week of discussions of the action plan on
sustainable development, known as the Chairman's Text or the Bali
Commitment, groups of countries insisted on holding to their
stance on the water issue, while some delegates continued to seek
a compromise.

Indonesia's Minister of Resettlement and Regional
Infrastructure Soenarno, said on Monday that issues of "time
targets" for clean water provision, the privatization of water
companies and cross-border water trading issues were the main
sticking points in negotiations.

"Certain developed countries have some political interests
that make it difficult to compromise," Soenarno told a press
briefing.

Water is one of the five top issues named by UN Secretary
General Kofi Annan that will most likely be addressed by heads of
states during the World Summit in Johannesburg later in August
and September.

The UN is aiming to reduce by half the 1.1 billion people who
do not have access to clean water by 2015. And this is supported
by developing countries in the current negotiations.

Japan, the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand
grouped under the JUSCANZ negotiating block opposed the time
target. They contended that the most important thing would be to
pursue partnerships among stakeholders to provide clean water.

To ensure the efficient distribution of clean water, the U.S.
suggested partnerships between private companies that could build
infrastructure for the supply of water.

Soenarno, however, contended that governments should be
allowed to continue their attempts to provide water for their
people and claimed that partnerships would cause an increase in
the price of water.

"For developing countries, such an idea would be out of the
question because we, the government, want to be the sole
providers for our people, and that is a basic right. How can we
make people pay more for clean water?" he complained, while not
providing any evidence as to why it would cost more.

The stance of many developing countries on the water issue got
a boost from the European Union (EU), which did support the time
target's inclusion in the Chairman's Text.

"The European countries have agreed to put water as one of the
key issues in the Johannesburg meeting as the global threat to
water is a threat for sustainable development," Frederick Bach,
EU representative on water issue, told the same press conference.

He also said that the EU had gathered 15 donor countries and
allocated US$1.4 billion annually to finance water, sanitation
and hygiene programs in developing countries, mostly in Africa.

"Water issues should be recognized in the political
agenda...there should be a clear focus and a target for water
provision," Bach added.

Uganda Minister for Water, Land and the Environment Maria
Mutagamba E. Lubega appealed to world leaders to support the time
target.

"We must have a time target. We appeal to everybody to support
the future of time target," she remarked.