National Platform Against Water Privatization (NPAWP)

In a historic move, struggle groups against water privatization from different states came together in Nagpur and formed a national platform to fight against water privatization in India. In a daylong meeting organised by Citizen’s Front for Water Democracy (Delhi) and Focus on the Global South (Delhi) in collaboration with Nagpur Municipal Corporation Employees Union, more than 70 water activists from Delhi, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Karnataka launched formation of a National Platform. After a marathon session the meeting passed a resolution declaring formation of NATIONAL PLATFORM AGAINST WATER PRIVATIZATION (NPAWP).The meeting also came out with a Nagpur Declaration, a policy statement of the NPAWP giving details about its visions and objectives in the context of people’s right to water (Copy attached).

In this meeting, a national coordination committee was also constituted which elected Shri S.A Naqvi of Citizens Front for Water Democracy (CFWD, Delhi) as the National Coordinator of NPAWP. Besides Mr. Naqvi, the others who constituted the National Coordination Committee include Shri Jammu Anand of NMC Municipal Union, Nagpur as Regional Coordinator for Western Zone; Smt. Nirmla Sharma of Jagriti Mahila Samiti (Delhi) as Regional Coordinator for Northern Zone; Shri Rajinder Prabhakar of Peoples Campaign on Right to Water (Karnataka) for Southern Zone; Shri Subrato Chakrabarti of Guwahati Sanmilita Nagarik Adhikar Suraksha Manacha for North Eastern Zone; Shri Saurabh Sinha of Inner Voice Foundation of Ballia for Eastern zone and Mr. Rahmat Rawat of Manthan (Badwani) as Regional Coordinator for Central Zone. Besides regional coordinators, the others who are part of the national coordination committee include Raman Kanan of Public Services International, Afsar Jafri of Focus on the Global South, Dr. A.K. Arun of Yuva Bharat, Akhil Gogoi of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, Ms Kiran Shaheen of Pani Hakk Abhiyan, Gaurav Diwedi of Manthan, Sanjay Sharma of Water Workers Allaince, Pranjal Dixshit of Mumbai and Vinay Baindur of Bangalore.

On 1^st July, the National Platform against Water Privatization and the NMC Municipal Union staged a demonstration against water privatization in Nagpur and met with the Municipal Commissioner of Nagpur in his office and gave a memorandum demanding for the immediate termination of the contract with the Orange City Water. It also demanded for the remunicipalisation of the water supply and distribution in Nagpur. 

The national platform is a unique initiative to build solidarity among different movements and campaigns from India who are engaged in any activities related to water to ensure water as a common good and determine human rights to water. This national body of water activists also decided to extend all support to movements opposing dams, river diversions or river linking.

The fight against any form of water privatization will be the key agenda of the NATIONAL PLATFORM. It will help each other and seek strength from each other in this difficult time when democratic governments in the states have been sold out to corporations. The national platform will contact with different groups who are campaigning against water privatization in their cities to come together. They will share their experiences, documents and strategies to gain strength and knowledge from each other.

The NPAWP will soon initiate mass movement against government’s undemocratic moves to privatize and commodify water. The NPAWP decided to raise all issues relating to water like its environmental aspects, ecological concerns, dams, rivers etc and oppose all forms of water commercialization.

The NPAWP through a resolution rejected the National Water Policy of 2012 as well as the draft report issued recently by the Y.K. Alagh Committee, the National Water Framework Laws, which promotes privatization of water.

The NPAWP also declared the Uttrakhand disaster as man-made disaster and a result of callus and anti environment policies of the Central and the State Governments. It passed a resolution opposing such infrastructure development anywhere in India which compromises environmental concerns for the sake of growth and development.

The next meeting of the Platform will be organised in Delhi soon.

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S.A. Naqvi      Jammu Anand       Afsar Jafri

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[1] International Financial Institutions, like the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB)