Independent Dialogue
Geographical focus:
Brazil
Discussion topic outcome
The right to, and necessity of, water "They have no scruples and no sense of dignity. They said nothing would happen and now the river is dry, fish sick, we got sick. An analysis was done and our river was drinking water, healthy, sculpted by nature. Now the oxygen is weak, the iodine... everything changed. They point to [bame] the fisherman, but it is not. They don't like us or the indigenous people because we defend our river, winning or losing, we don't give up. They have a reservoir in which the fish reproduce at the head of the river, there is a dam that does not allow them to return to t
... Read morehe river, they stay and die in their dam. We ask to fish there and they forbid it and the fish dies, but they don't let the fisherman fish there, they beat him, take the fish and break his things. There are judges, prosecutors who are for us, but there are others against. Belo Monte did not bring anything good, only the destruction of our rivers. The only thing they bring is money, but we don't take that. God left it for us to take care of, but the human being is destroying it. The Covid virus came because of this greed. I witness fish mortality, I see fish with malformations, greenish water... Belo Monte, like any other enterprise that destroys nature, is rotten". 1. Regulation - Policies for the effective protection of water, and forests. - Combating water contamination by any activity, especially mining, with monitoring, inspection and punishment of polluters, by repairing environmental impacts It ranges from river protection to public policy and labour. It cannot be degrading to working people, it has to be dignified and fair 2.As FAO states there is a need for, “Increased support for small-scale fishers will be critical in light of the coronavirus pandemic to allow them to continue earning a livelihood and nourishing local communities”. This is echoed in the calls for action by fishing communities whose rights and access to rivers and fish have been curtailed. 3. Human rights as environmental rights "They talk about having to the 'Indigenous component' when considering projects. How do you talk about indigenous rights, with the rights of nature, of the forest? They have rights. You can not separate our rights, our life or survival from that of the river, of the trees[..] conservation areas, ecological corridors, these are something, but they are not sufficient" Agrarian reform settlements, quilombolas; even if surrounded by monocultures, their waters still need to be protected, the superficial water, the rivers, the lakes, the groundwater. The territories, of they are going to be surrounded, at the very least must have clean water, potable water, water for farming within the territories. 4. Water sources must be clean and protected Communities must have access to clean, potable, usable water to maintain and healthy, agrifood systems. The pattern, unfortunately, is away from this right, and the aspirations of clean water and sanitation that underpin SDG 6: "ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all); water stress (6.4)" “Water scarcity, water pollution, degraded water-related ecosystems and cooperation over transboundary water basins”, disproportionately affect the most vulnerable people, and according to FAO, “COULD lead to widespread socio-economic disruptions unless urgent measures are taken”. Our dialogue points out that, like climate change, these feared disruption are a present and NOT a possible future event. Mitigation for 'future' problems requires urgent action to confront 'today's' challenges and abuses. Read less
Action Track(s): 1, 2, 3, 4
Keywords: Environment and Climate, Governance, Human rights, Policy