BECHTEL CUTS WATER IN ECUADOR
URGENT!!! PLEASE FORWARD!!!
TAKE ACTION - SIGN ON TO LETTER BELOW!!
It is a well kept secret that Bechtel won a contract to privatize the water in Ecuador's largest city, Guayaquil, just months after the massive citizen protests that threw Bechtel out of Bolivia. In October 2000, Bechtel signed a 30-year concession contract to run the water and sanitation services in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Now, more than six years later, the residents of Guayaquil are demanding damages from the company for water contamination, an end to water cut-offs, and a return to local, public control. On September 28 citizens gathered in front of the offices of the under secretary of the Economy to protest the contract. The Observatorio Cuidadano de Servicios Publicos is seeking to stop the water cut-offs through legal action. A letter signed by thousands of Guayaquil residents documenting the abuses of the water company will be delivered to Ecuadorian President Correa.
In solidarity with these activities, we request that you sign-on to the letter below addressed to Mr. Riley Bechtel, the CEO and chairman of the Bechtel Corporation. The letter will be copied to members of the U.S. Congress, the Ecuadorian President and the World Bank agency that supported the contract.
Please send your name, organizational affiliation, and country to the email address mfiil@fwwatch.org by October 15.
Thank you for your support.
Read more about Guayaquil on: http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/ waterprivatization/latinamerica/ecuador/guayaquil-bechtel
(A Spanish version of this letter is currently circulating. Please mail
sgrusky@fwwatch.org for the Spanish call to action and sign on letter)
Food & Water Watch
SIGN-ON LETTER
Riley P. Bechtel Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bechtel Group 45 Fremont Street San Francisco, CA 94105
Cc: President Correa, International Water Services, Interagua, The World Bank agency MIGA, U.S. House Foreign Affairs and Financial Services Committee members.
Dear Mr. Bechtel:
The undersigned organizations are writing to express our serious concern with the activities of your subsidiary International Water Services or Interagua Ltda. in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Aided by loans from the Inter-American Development Bank and a guarantee from the World Bank agency, MIGA, your company won a concession contract to manage the water and sanitation services in the city of Guayaquil in October 2000. This contract was signed shortly after the company left Cochabamba, Bolivia following massive protests due to consumer rate hikes and other problems with the water privatization contract in that city. The citizens of Guayaquil, Ecuador are now experiencing similar problems and are demanding accountability from the company. The Ecuadorian regulatory agency ECAPAG recently fined Interagua $1.5 million for contractual violations. The following issues, including documented contractual violations, have been brought to our attention.
* Repeated residential water cut-offs for up to 12, 24, 36 or more hours at a time; * Residential water cut-offs of senior citizens and other low- income residents due to inability to pay; * Failure to extend services to specific neighborhoods, especially low-income residents; * Failure to meet contractual obligations for rehabilitation and expansion of services; * Public health problems such as respiratory problems, skin rashes, asthma and diarrhea due to lack of wastewater treatment; * Environmental contamination due to lack of wastewater treatment; * Hepatitis A outbreak in June 2005 which was investigated by local authorities (Commission for Civic Control and the Public Defender?s office) who concluded that the water was ?not apt for human consumption.?
The undersigned organizations wish to extend our heartfelt support to the citizens of Guayaquil who are calling upon Interagua to respect their constitutional rights, their basic human needs, and their fundamental human rights. We call upon Bechtel, the subsidiary International Water Services and the local water company Interagua, to take the following actions to address the demands of the residents of Guayaquil:
§ Take immediate action to forgive all the water debts of residents whose services have been cut due to inability to pay;
§ Reconnect the water services of all residents whose services have been cut due to inability to pay;
§ Ensure compliance with the concession contract regarding rehabilitation and expansion of water services;
§ Ensure compliance with the concession contract regarding waste water treatment;
§ Ensure compliance with the Ecuadorian constitution, laws and regulations regarding the right to water and water quality standards;
§ Address citizen demands that water and other public services, be locally and publicly owned, controlled and managed with active citizen oversight and participation.
As you know, water is essential to sustain all life. The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights adopted the human right to water on November 26, 2002 and the United Nations Development Programme?s Human Development Report of 2006 calls on all governments to enshrine the right to water in enabling legislation. The human right to water is indispensable for leading a life of human dignity. Access to clean and affordable water and basic sanitation services are fundamental human rights. Everyone should have secure access to sufficient safe water and sanitation to meet their basic human needs. We await a prompt response to these issues.
Sincerely,
Food & Water Watch
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