Friday, January 21, 2005
water act soon
By Damitha Hemachandra
January 21,2005
Jatika Hela Urumaya (JHU) yesterday warned of a government’s plan to bring back the Water Management Bill, which was trashed by the UNF government due to heavy public protest.
The bill received cabinet green light on December 31 and JHU warned that the government is trying to present the bill to parliament on February 8 under the commotion created by the tsunami.
Daily Mirror learned that the present Water Management Bill is exactly the same presented by the UNF government under the ‘Regaining Sri Lanka’ proposals and was patronized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The bill, which was a brainchild of present Finance Minister Sarath Amunugama, was first present during the PA regime and later was taken up by the UNF government.
In 2000, the Sri Lankan government produced a national water resources policy statement, which the NGOs labelled a "conclusion of a process commenced in 1996 with directions from International Financial Institutions." Following public protests, the controversial policy document that was prepared without consulting the public or civil society, was later withdrawn.
Two years later, the government's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) too recommended the promotion of private sector participation in water services. In October 2003, the "Water Services Reform Bill" was presented in Parliament. But it was challenged in the Supreme Court by social justice activist Nihal Fernando, on the grounds that it would deny the country's impoverished millions access to water. The Supreme Court blocked the Bill saying its provisions covered areas included in the purview of the Provincial Council Act, as water was a concurrent subject shared both by the central and provincial councils. It said therefore that the Bill had to be approved by all provincial councils.
The Environmental and public right groups joined JHU in a pledge to challenge the bill at Supreme Courts and to launch an island wide protest campaign involving students, farmers and other environmental interest groups if the government is to go ahead with its plan to enact the ‘ Water Management Bill’, which they claimed would grab the water rights of the Sri Lankan public.
January 21,2005
Jatika Hela Urumaya (JHU) yesterday warned of a government’s plan to bring back the Water Management Bill, which was trashed by the UNF government due to heavy public protest.
The bill received cabinet green light on December 31 and JHU warned that the government is trying to present the bill to parliament on February 8 under the commotion created by the tsunami.
Daily Mirror learned that the present Water Management Bill is exactly the same presented by the UNF government under the ‘Regaining Sri Lanka’ proposals and was patronized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The bill, which was a brainchild of present Finance Minister Sarath Amunugama, was first present during the PA regime and later was taken up by the UNF government.
In 2000, the Sri Lankan government produced a national water resources policy statement, which the NGOs labelled a "conclusion of a process commenced in 1996 with directions from International Financial Institutions." Following public protests, the controversial policy document that was prepared without consulting the public or civil society, was later withdrawn.
Two years later, the government's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) too recommended the promotion of private sector participation in water services. In October 2003, the "Water Services Reform Bill" was presented in Parliament. But it was challenged in the Supreme Court by social justice activist Nihal Fernando, on the grounds that it would deny the country's impoverished millions access to water. The Supreme Court blocked the Bill saying its provisions covered areas included in the purview of the Provincial Council Act, as water was a concurrent subject shared both by the central and provincial councils. It said therefore that the Bill had to be approved by all provincial councils.
The Environmental and public right groups joined JHU in a pledge to challenge the bill at Supreme Courts and to launch an island wide protest campaign involving students, farmers and other environmental interest groups if the government is to go ahead with its plan to enact the ‘ Water Management Bill’, which they claimed would grab the water rights of the Sri Lankan public.
