Bendición de Dios
January 29, 2019 11:05 AM   Subscribe

Two decades ago, seven communities in the municipality of Tacuba, in southwestern El Salvador, banded together to build a community water system that was run by democratically elected leaders. In These Times reports that when a right-wing mayor from the ARENA party was elected in Tacuba, he seized control of the water system and redirected supply to neighborhoods that supported him. The elected leaders of the water system were briefly arrested for stealing water from the system they had labored for so long to build; they're still fighting to regain control. ARENA, now in control of El Salvador's national assembly, has introduced a bill to privatize the country's water system. With El Salvador's Presidential elections coming on Sunday, the bill's fate may hang in the balance.
posted by duffell (8 comments total) 19 users marked this as a favorite
 
Good post, OP. Thanks!
posted by Bella Donna at 11:29 AM on January 29, 2019 [2 favorites]


Real on-the-nose microcosm of right wing politics.
posted by runcibleshaw at 12:09 PM on January 29, 2019 [8 favorites]


Democracy is the worst form of government, because it's so much easier to cheat than all the others.
posted by jamjam at 12:23 PM on January 29, 2019 [2 favorites]


ARENA is a horrible party full of horrible people who should burn in Hell. So much carnage. Ablnd a lot of US culpability.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 12:30 PM on January 29, 2019 [2 favorites]


The Bolivian government tried to manage their water problems by privatization back in 1997? It did not go well for them. I hope the builders can get control back.
posted by coppertop at 1:04 PM on January 29, 2019 [2 favorites]


My parents run a non-profit that directly benefits people in several communities in El Salvador. Every donation goes right into funding projects that help so many people.

After years and years of horrible things that have happened there, it gives me much hope to know that there are more people fighting for justice and peace in El Salvador; than there are (like the mayor in this story) fighting against it.
posted by Lizard at 1:29 PM on January 29, 2019 [3 favorites]


I saw a film at Sundance, at least a decade ago, maybe more, called Flow for The Love of Water. It dealt with for profit water companies who under the pretense of service, enslave entire populations. I think that Bolivia was the one that threw out Bechtel over the 600% increase in the price of water after they built for pay infrastructure. One company, Suez it was, made water pay stations where people had to bow to the ground to insert their cards, the engineers laughed about it, it was their cruel, humorous, plan.
posted by Oyéah at 5:04 PM on January 29, 2019 [2 favorites]


Welcome to the preview of what people want for America.
posted by mephron at 5:50 AM on January 30, 2019 [2 favorites]


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