The human right to water: an illusion in Chile?

Lecture and discussion with René Vergara(MODATIMA)

This lecture will be accompanied by Chilean music played by Rodrigo and Lorenzo Tobar(www.rodrigotobar.de)

Access to water and its management are in private hands in Chile. This model was adopted by the military dictatorship (1973-1990), deepened during the transition to democracy and continued to this day.

The ownership rights to the water supply lie with industry (agriculture, mining and export-orientated energy). In many regions of the country, access to water is already inadequate, which severely jeopardises the human right to water. The emergency situation is exacerbated by the effects of climate change: extreme heat and long periods of drought.

The Movimiento de Defensa por el Acceso al Agua, la Tierra y la Protección del Medioambiente (MODATIMA) was founded in 2010 in the province of Petorca, Valparaíso region. The organisation campaigns for the rights of farmers, workers and the population of the region.

René Vergara has been travelling the region with Rodrigo Mundaca since MODATIMA ’s beginnings and has also been responsible for communications for more than 12 years. During the visit, Vergara explains the current events and debates surrounding the right of access to water following the failed constitutional process in Chile, which was intended to solve this fundamental problem, among other things.