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Press Release Water is a basic human right, to be delivered by the State !!! SAAPE condemn the unethical proposition of the ADB for its sale in the international market!!! South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE) strongly condemns the precondition set up by the ADB, imposing the Nepal government to set up the Kathmandu Valley Drinking Water Limited in order to hand over the distribution and management of the valley's drinking water to the UK's Seven Trent Water International (STWI) as Kathmandu Valley's water utility manager. Privatization is the usual weapon of conditionality used by the ADB for releasing its funds. ADB is now threatening that if the contract is not awarded to STWI by May 15, it would terminate its loan number 1820, worth US $ 120 million, committed to the project. ADB is the largest donor to the Melamchi Drinking Water project whose cost was restructured last year from US $ 464 million to US $ 350 million. SAAPE vehemently condemns the arm twisting tactics of the ADB on the poor Nepalese people. Water is too precious and too basic a human right to be placed at the mercy of multinational companies whose primary goal is to maximize profit for themselves and their shareholders at the expense of the deprived and downtrodden. Water needs to be protected from predatory capitalism promoters, like the ADB, who forces privatization as a pre-condition for loans to developing countries. Inevitably, water then becomes more expensive and the quality drops contrary to higher quality claims by the so-called experts and promoters. It's the common people, especially the poor who then suffer as the soaring water price makes it impossible for them to afford the otherwise widely and easily available natural resource. SAAPE, therefore, strongly condemns such act of capitalism and violation of human rights by the ADB that steals one of the most precious resources from the people, without which survival is not possible. SAAPE also extends its support and solidarity to Hisila Yami, Minister for Physical Planning and Works for her firm and committed stance against water privatization invading the country. Fighting unitedly against poverty , hunger and injustice!!! SAAPE Secretariat May 10, 2007 Related News
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