Water privatization to result in major natural disaster, Walhi warns

Water privatization to result in major natural disaster, Walhi warns

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) has said that
people would have difficulty in obtaining water if the government
went ahead with its plan to privatize the natural resource.

It said water shortages might become a major disaster this
year as droughts, floods, forest fires and landslides are
expected to continue.

Walhi's executive director Longgena Ginting said that once
water supplies were privatized, not only would people living in
cities pay fees for it, but so would farmers in rural areas,
"because the planned privatization is feared to take the side of
corporations rather than that of the people".

The government has submitted to the House of Representatives a
bill on water, which allows local administrations to privatize
water supplies and allow private foreign and domestic investors
to enter the market.

Ginting said Walhi and other pro-environment non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) had joined forces to oppose the bill, which
would deny people's access to water.

House Deputy Speaker Muhaimin Iskandar of the National
Awakening Party also said he also shared a similar concern and
fear, adding that water supplies would be controlled by the
private sector.

He regretted that water sources in mountainous resorts,
especially in Java, Sumatra and Kalimantan, were controlled by
private companies for business, while domestic and foreign
investors have interfered with the supply of water to people in
urban areas.

The government policy on water privatization has sparked
protests and criticism as it denies people's access to water, and
it has not improved the government-owned tap water companies'
service to their consumers, he said.

Ginting said that the government had also submitted other
bills that give more chances for the private sector to control
natural resources, including water, oil and plantations.

He called on the House to be extremely cautious when
deliberating the bills since it would be difficult to annul them
once they were endorsed.

"The government should supervise private companies when
managing water supplies to preserve the environment and avoid
natural disasters," he said.