Veolia and FCC violate human right to
access to water in Colombia
Under the name
PROACTIVA Medio Ambiente,
the spanish company Fomento
de Construcciones y Contratas
(FCC) and the french Veolia
Environmental have taken advantage of the privatization of public services such
as water, sanitary services and waste management in the Colombian Carribean, thereby violating the human right to access to
water of a large part of the local population.
In Colombia,
PROACTIVA reflects the two sides of water privatization in the country: on the
one side, the privatization of water sources via the concession of the Tibitoc plant near the capital Bogota,
and on the other side the privatization in terms of management as is the case
in the cities of Monteria and Tunja,
the San Andres Achipel, and the municipality of Tocancipa in the Department of Cundinamarca.
Both the national
government as well as the local governments have supported PROACTIVA's
engagement by offering significant concession contracts to the company, not
only for the operation of drinking water and sanitary services in cities like Montería, but also concessions for important aquatic
sources near Bogota.
CENSAT - Agua Viva Friends of the Earth Colombia denounces PROACTIVA
before the PPT for violating the constitution, as well as different national
laws and decrees.
PROACTIVA has
damaged the urban landscape and caused territory fragmentation by installing
waste water deposits in residential areas; also, the company has ignored pricing
agreements established between the former public service companies and the
consumers and is demanding the payment of delayed invoices which are impossible
to pay for the people who are consequently left without basic services.
Furthermore, the
company has not complied with any of the commitments to expand and restore the
networks in broad areas. In spite of this, water and canalisation services services have been charged in areas which even in the
companies' own registers do not appear as areas in which any services are being
provided.
Key issues: Privatization of
Public Services and violation of fundamental rights
Denouncing
organizations: Censat-Agua Viva – Friends of the Earth
Colombia