On March 24, 25 and 26, greater than 25,000 folks gathered within the commune of Sainte-Soline, western France, as a part of a global mobilisation in opposition to the development of one of many largest water reservoirs for irrigation and different water-grabbing initiatives.
Confronted with this unprecedented turnout, the French authorities determined to ban the demonstration and deploy greater than 3,000 armed police to guard the development web site, which spans some 162,000 sq. metres (1.7 million sq. toes).
Using violence in opposition to the protesters was by all accounts disproportionate. Greater than 200 folks have been injured, some fairly significantly, because the police charged on the crowd and fired greater than 5,000 tear fuel canisters. One demonstrator remains to be in a coma, as of the time of this writing.
After the violent crackdown, the French authorities introduced the “dissolution” of Les Soulèvements de la Terre (The Earth’s Uprisings), one of many organisations behind the demonstrations.
These very brutal scenes remind us of the unhappy actuality that we’re experiencing in our lands. We’re witnessing the resurgence and reinforcement of authoritarianism, rising repression of environmental protests, and intensifying criminalisation of those that oppose this ongoing ecocide, in addition to the capitalist, imperialist, and colonialist buildings that preside over it.
However within the face of this ecological violence, a worldwide motion is rising that builds on solidarity to guard water rights for all.
The ‘mega’ abuse of water
In France, the development of big retention basins for agricultural irrigation began within the late Nineties, however has accelerated since 2010 as a result of huge droughts the nation has skilled on account of local weather change.
In accordance with the French authorities, there are round 100 mega-basin initiatives for agricultural irrigation within the nation. Nevertheless, the associations Bassines Non Merci (Basins No Thanks) and Le Soulèvement de la Terre have mapped almost 300 initiatives, lots of that are nonetheless underneath research.
These enormous craters are crammed by drawing from underground water, which frequently results in the degradation of water assets within the affected space. These mega-basins solely profit a small minority of huge farmers who’re linked to large agro-industrial pursuits, whereas small-scale farmers undergo from ever-decreasing entry to the overexploited water assets.
The development of those basins undermines the appropriate to water and the
Such plans embody a flawed coverage of sustaining the present agro-industrial mannequin at any value, which crushes small-scale farmers and destroys ecosystems.
Though many complaints have been filed in opposition to these initiatives, many are nonetheless underneath development. Actions opposing mega-basins have emerged in France for the reason that 2000s, and lately, they’ve more and more taken on a nationwide and worldwide dimension.
‘It’s not drought, it’s looting’
The development of enormous water reservoirs elsewhere has already demonstrated that such initiatives have devastating results on the setting and native communities. As an example, in Chile, within the province of Petorca alone, eight mega-basins have been constructed since 1985.
They’ve principally benefited the rich house owners of enormous avocado farms, who use the water from the basins to irrigate a water-intensive monocrop that’s virtually solely destined for export to the World North. In the meantime, surrounding villages have been left with out water. The federal government has needed to spend tens of millions of {dollars} to purchase water – usually from these similar avocado farms – to distribute by way of vans to the native communities.
Locals have give you an correct description of their actuality: “no es sequia, es saqueo!” (it’s not drought, it’s looting!). This has develop into a slogan usually repeated at protests throughout Latin America, as peasants and Indigenous peoples from Chile to Mexico are preventing in opposition to the privatisation of water.
The big water reservoir initiatives are a part of the systematic abuse of freshwater the world over. Air pollution, overexploitation, commodification, and hoarding have disrupted the Earth’s water cycles. In consequence, water shortage has reached scary proportions, affecting 40 % of the world’s inhabitants, and inflicting upheaval throughout the planet.
These fixed violations through the years have additionally seen pushback from communities and social actions. In 2000, residents of Cochabamba, Bolivia’s fourth-biggest metropolis, fought the so-called “water warfare” in opposition to makes an attempt to privatise their water. Since then, there have been a rising variety of conflicts and social unrest, as folks battle over shrinking water assets and battle to defend their rights.
Public mobilisations and other people’s water summits held during the last 20 years in lots of components of the world have demanded entry to water and its safety, particularly for impoverished and socially excluded populations. In 2010, the United Nations lastly recognised the appropriate to water as a human proper.
But, the aggressive privatisation and financialisation of water have continued. Giant companies akin to Danone, Nestle, and Coca-Cola have been pumping spring water from Indigenous lands in Mexico, the USA and Canada to promote it at excessive costs in plastic bottles, whereas native communities have struggled with entry to water.
Elsewhere, in keeping with capitalist injunctions to “decarbonise” economies, water-intensive mining and the development of enormous dams are accelerating, destroying territories nonetheless populated by peasant and Indigenous communities. In 2020, water was even listed on the inventory alternate within the US.
World solidarity on water rights
Within the face of this ecocidal offensive on water, land, and our livelihoods, folks concerned within the battle for water are usually not solely rising in quantity but in addition connecting throughout the globe.
In late March, a few of us travelled far to hitch native activists, peasants, and farmers of their protest in opposition to France’s mega-basins in Sainte-Soline. Included on this crowd have been activists from Chile preventing in opposition to the destruction of our ecosystems by authoritarian neoliberalism; activists from Mali preventing in opposition to land grabs; Kurdish activists opposing the relentless water warfare waged by Turkey; Yukpa Indigenous activists from Abya Yala and Mohawk activists from Turtle Island preventing for the self-determination of our nations within the face of a colonial and extractivist system; and activists from the Lakota Nation and the social centres of Northeast Italy.
No authorities can ignore international solidarity; no authorities can dissolve the peoples’ water motion, a significant revolt that grows and resonates throughout borders and languages.
This is the reason we, actors of the battle for all times, peasants, human rights and environmental defenders, public figures, commerce unions, collectives, and organisations from totally different continents, name for large worldwide help for the battle for water and in opposition to mega-basins in France.
We name on folks to denounce the French authorities’s repression of social and environmental actions. We additionally name for respect for the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Different Individuals Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP).
Our help extends to all those that are struggling all over the world in opposition to water grabbing, privatisation, and air pollution, and for the truthful sharing and safety of water as an inalienable widespread good.
From the water that flows by way of our veins, the rivers of the watersheds that maintain our lands and that join our geographies, we name for the strengthening of internationalist alliances to defend water, land, and the commons that maintain life. Within the face of all types of repression and authoritarianism, our solidarity is like flowing water: it brings life and freedom and is aware of no borders.
The views expressed on this article are the authors’ personal and don’t essentially replicate Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
