|
Great Lakes
Article:
Women
victims if water is privatised, says expert
Express News Service
03/09/04
New Delhi: Dr Vandana Shiva, environmental activist and
head of NGO Navdanya, today gave the Habitat Talk as a part
of the ongoing International Women’s Month on Women, Ecology
and Globalisation at The Habitat Centre.
Speaking on water privatisation, Shiva said that this
was just another way to clamp down on women’s rights.
She narrated an example in this regard. ‘‘For the past
two years there was a movement in Kerala, where women
were protesting outside the Coke factory. The factory
was taking 1.5 million litres of water per day in a place
where water was never scarce. Now, water is scarce in
this area and women have to walk for miles in search of
water.’’
Shiva added that this happened in a country where water
providers were ‘‘not five companies who owned and controlled
rights to buy and sell water. Even now, in India, the
water providers are women.’’
‘‘Since then the high court pronounced that water was
not a commodity and doesn’t belong to anyone. It instead
has to be preserved as a common public trust,’’ she said.
Speaking against bio-piracy, Shiva pointed out ‘‘every
resource of the earth is up for grabs, including food
grains which have been developed and are used by women
in the country.’’ She called it a ‘‘transfer of knowlegde
and power to a handful of corporations’’, and stated:
‘‘Women believe in the economy of inclusion. They believe
that by sharing you create more and by exclusion, you
get less. But a few corporations believe that exclusion
is the way to grow. It is. But just for a few’’.
Shiva also announced that farmers from different parts
of India and Pakistan will soon come together for a special
Food Festival at Dilli Haat. ‘‘Sanjha Chulha, the festival
which will have food cooked by farmers themselves, will
go on from March 16 to 30. It will feature a different
cuisine everyday and sometimes different grains,’’ she
said.
|
