March 22, 2018 – 2:54pmOrganizers in Barcelona successfully gathered over 15,000 signatures required to hold a referendum on the remunicipalisation of that city’s water supply in June. Today they released a video showing messages of support from around…
Water Justice News
Updates from around the world about the global water crisis, and the struggle for water justice.
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March 22, 2018 – 2:20pmBrasilia – The Fórum Alternativo Mundial da Água (FAMA) or Alternative World Water Forum concluded with a march today that saw 5-7,000 people from around Brasil and around the World take to the streets of Brasilia demanding an e… |
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December 21, 2017 – 5:34pm A new report by the Water Citizens’ Network in Ghana traces the history of resistance to pre-paid water metres and the successful campaign to stop the Ghanaian government’s most recent attempts to implement metering schemes. The report argues that the government’s latest initiative – a direct result of pressures from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to implement full-cost recovery in public services as part of a 2013 bailout package – flies in the face of evidence gathered during previous attempts to establish water meters in Ghana. According to author Leonard Shang-Quartey, when water metering was first introduced through a pilot project in 2004, people were told prepaid metering would lead to better and more efficient services. However, the pilot program was so plagued with problems that the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), the government agency that had enthusiastically signed on to the deal, ended up seeking legal sanctions against the metering company, Aquamet. Five months into the pilot project, residents who had initially signed up when the company offered deceptively low rates to attract customers, found themselves without water when rates rose drastically to ensure profits for the private collection agency. Additionally, technical glitches left paying customers without reliable access and the illusion of efficiency was soon replaced by the reality of an administrative nightmare that eventually drove the GWCL to seek a court injunction against Aquamet to prevent further metering. During this period, Aquamet made profits while its public sector partner, the GWCL lost revenues. According to Koni Benson, the Blue Planet Project’s Cape Town-based organizer who supported the Water Citizen’s Network’s effort to document the Ghanaian experience with metering, the report will be useful in supporting other campaigns against metering on the continent.The Blue Planet Project currently supports a campaign against water metering in Cape Town and regularly facilitates exchanges between water justice activists throughout Africa and around the world. Read The Fall of Prepaid Water Meters in Ghana (PDF 1.2mb) Tags:
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November 23, 2017
Joint Media Release
The Canadian government is believed to have information relevant to a recently re-opened investigation concerning possible malfeasance on the part of ex-President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias Sanchez, with regard to an alleged transfer of $200,000 from Infinito Gold’s largest shareholder to the Arias Foundation in 2008. The transfer of funds took place just prior to then-President Arias issuing an Executive Decree to allow the Canadian mining company to proceed with an open-pit gold mine, despite Costa Rica’s prohibition against open-pit gold mining. Through Freedom of Information requests, the three Canadian organizations that wrote to the Minsters this week ascertained that Canada has previously been asked for information on this possible transfer of funds in 2013 and that the RCMP had contacted Interpol about this case. But whatever information that the Department of Justice may have was never turned over to the Costa Rican authorities. Citing Canada’s lack of collaboration, then Costa Rican Attorney General was successful in having the case against Arias closed in 2015 for lack of evidence. However, while Arias avoided trial at the time, his Minister of the Environment, who co-signed the Executive Decree in support of Infinito’s project, was found guilty of malfeasance and was sentenced to three years in prison. In order for the new Costa Rican Attorney General to proceed with this investigation and adequately judge the merits of this case, Canadian organizations urge the Canadian government to fully cooperate with the Costa Rican authorities this time. -30- For information: Jen Moore, MiningWatch Canada, 1(613) 563-3439, jen@miningwatch.ca |
Ottawa/Toronto – Three Canadian organizations, MiningWatch Canada, Council of Canadians, and Common Frontiers have written to Canada’s Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, calling on the Canadian government to respond to any forthcoming requests from Costa Rica’s new Attorney General, Emilia Navas, in a complete and timely manner.|
July 11, 2017 – 8:00am Amber Cook teaches yoga in Chicago and Diana Oppenheim offers yoga classes in San Francisco. Last year, they contacted the Blue Planet Project after having watched the film Blue Gold based on the 2005 international bestseller about the global water crisis by Maude Barlow and Tony Clarke.
The Blue Planet Project is extremely grateful for the donations that will go towards supporting our advocacy and solidarity work to promote global water justice around the world.
Ensuring access to water for all people and protecting watersheds for future generations requires strategies that challenge the systems that prevent fair and equitable access to basic services and healthy environments for all. In 2010, the United General Assembly affirmed the human rights to water and sanitation. Today, the Blue Planet Project works with local organizations and activists on grassroots struggles to protect democratic, community control of water. We provide research, analysis, funding and capacity building for local and international campaigns for water justice. We support the work of impacted communities like the Cape Town Housing Assembly’s campaign to stop a water-metering scheme that is preventing poor people living in townships from accessing clean water. We help amplify the voices of grassroots groups fighting governments and corporations who violate the human rights to water and sanitation. We build global solidarity for local movements standing up to environmentally destructive projects. We provide community activists and local governments with tools to create laws to implement the human rights to water and sanitation and protect the water commons at the local level. The Blue Planet is extremely grateful to Diana and Amber for their efforts to raise awareness and funds for our work. We would like to thank the following yoga studios for hosting them:
We would also like to express our deep gratitude to the following individuals and yoga studios who supported this effort by holding their own fundraiser yoga classes throughout the US:
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Compelled by a strong desire to take action, Amber and Diana worked out a plan to raise $10,000 USD for the 
