The National Alliance Against the Privatization of Water put together a convoy of cars this Thursday in San Salvador to visit the headquarters of various right wing political parties to push for the inclusion of proposals restricting the privitization of water supplies.
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Upon visiting each of the parties' headquarters they left letters prefacing their demands with language that placed the problem within a national context: "It's conceivable that with the magnitude of the environmental and water crisis at the national level that our politcal parties can't be counted upon to make concrete proposals to face these serious problems." Each letter was addressed to a presidential candidate or representative from that political party.
While some members of the parties came out to receive the letters, others, like those from the ruling ARENA party sent their security guard to send the protesters away.
The protest also included a visit to the country's Legislative Assembly where people spoke on the importance of their demands. They also asked for lawmakers from the Environment and Climate Change Commission to not allow private companies to exploit natural resources within the country.
El Salvador has had issues with water scarcity for years, and the problem is only getting worse. The U.N has recognized that access to fresh water is a fundamental human right.
According to the U.N., recognizing the social aspect of water distribution is fundamental to establishing a path towards equality and to push for social and environmental justice.