14 March
International Rivers Day
A week-long campaign under Keep Rivers Free movement
Entire
globe is experiencing water crisis. Asia in general and South Asia in
particular is not exceptional to this phenomenon. This region is marred with
complex and multidimensional aspects of water crises. Not only the availability
of water has declined, but also its health has been badly affected.
A
deep probe into the issue reveals that water crisis has been created by the
state, i.e. it is not ‘weak’ but deliberate mal-governance. Both incentives and
lack of penalties have led to major ecological disasters. These include deforestation,
destruction of wetlands, dumping of industrial waste into waterways, construction
of dams, overexploitation of the major river systems, corporate control on
water resources and unplanned urbanization due to increasing population
pressure. All these issues pose serious threats to life and health of people
and water systems of South Asian River Systems, including Indus river system.
Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF)
represents fishermen, river community and deltaic people. PFF through its mass
mobilization has become a social movement for protecting the genuine rights of
indigenous communities, depending on water resources and forests for their
livelihoods. We strongly believe that it is a universal truth that “water is
life and water for life” and this truth has widely been acknowledged and
accepted by millions of people, states, organizations and various networks. We
also believe that natural sources, including rivers, lakes, coastal and marine
resources should be owned and governed by only the communities living there.
However due to the policies of government and authorities common people have
always been deprived of their rights.
The analysis reveals that anti-human
and anti-environment policies were applied and imposed in South Asian
countries. These developmental policies are the supporter of privatization and
in the favour of corporate sector rather than offering any incentive or benefits
for the public.
Among regions around the world,
South Asia is the second number in the construction of large dams. Imitating
colonial control over natural resources, the ecological consequences remain
hazardous to life and livelihood.
Pakistan is also practicing,
introducing anti- human and anti-environment policies in the name of
development by constructing dams, barrages and canals on the River Indus,
affecting its natural flow. Violating the human rights the people have become
displaced and disturbed in the wide area, who otherwise depend on the river
water for their life and livelihoods through their forefathers. Bearing the
worst consequences is the Indus delta in southern Sindh, where the sea is
approaching fast, causing migration and depletion of resources.
Pakistan
Fisherfolk Forum believes that the Earth’s fresh water belongs to the Earth and
all species, and therefore not be treated as a private commodity to be bought,
sold and traded for profit. The global fresh water is a shared legacy, a public
trust, and fundamental human rights and therefore, a collective responsibility.
In the context of water insecurity
we have to be armed with the wide range of potential environmental and human
solutions to the fresh water crisis across global, regional and national
locations. Some observers argue that the oceans will be a major source of food
in the next century. But without fresh water the sea will die.
It is time now to advance a
national, regional, and international agenda towards water-secure peoples. Keep
Rivers Free is a movement essential to protect water and to defend it from
commercial exploitation.
The following needs to be done to
protect and conserve our scarce water resources and distribute the same in a
fair and ecologically responsible way:
- Fight
for “Keep Rivers Free.”
- Promote
“Water Lifeline Constitutions.”
- Establish
local “Water Governance Councils.”
- Fight
for “National Water protection Acts.”
- Support
and strengthen the anti-dam movement.
- Oppose
the commercial trade in water.
- Confront
the IMF, World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
- Challenge
the lords of water.
- Address
national, regional and global equity.
- Promote
the “Water Commons Treaty Initiative.”
- Support
a “Global Water Convention.”
- Join
movements against anti-nature and anti-people energy projects
Keep River Free Campaign
On 14th March on the occasion
of International Rivers Day, Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) has declared a
week-long campaign with the theme of “Restoration and Freedom of Rivers”, as
the rivers unite us globally. The campaign by PFF will start from 7th March 2014 towards a large assembly on 14th
March 2014.
“Keep Rivers Free” aims towards freedom
– from dams, bunds, pollution, privatization, cuts.
Actions
- To
build and strengthen networks within local, national, regional and
international movements working for protection and restoration of rivers
in order to keep rivers free, and to protect and promote rights of
communities that depend on healthy water bodies;
- To
build up wide range of resistance on national level, against the
destructive dam projects;
- To
promote alternative ways of meeting people’s needs for water and energy
through research, advocacy and lobbying;
- To
sensitize people for no more dams, no more diversions and no more cuts on
Indus River in future;
- To
strongly demand release at least 35 MAF water downstream Kotri for regeneration
of Indus Delta;
- To raise voices for adoption of
new water paradigm
- To strongly demand for
reparations for people affected by existing dams in Pakistan;
- To
mobilize, organize South Asian dams’ affectees and civil society at the South
Asian regional level
- Mass-mobilization
on safe drinking water as fundamental human right.
- To
connect the riparian communities, civil society with upstream communities
and civil society for the sharing of issues each other.
