Campaigners fear the creeping privatization of water

Campaigners fear the creeping privatization of water. “When a local government ruling in the Salvadoran town of Nejapa stopped Coca-Cola from drilling wells in the community, residents thought their campaign against the drinks giant had ensured their continued access to clean water. But that 2015 success now seems under threat after the Salvadoran national assembly recently took steps activists believe will lead to the privatization of the country’s water supplies. ‘They are fragile ordinances, so the companies [are] looking for a way to avoid the local councils having stronger ones,’ said Santiago Rodríguez, a pastor with the Salvadoran Lutheran church who works in Nejapa and the surrounding areas. ‘The danger is that the local ordinances are weakened even more.’”