Bolivia 'Water War' - Part 2

The conflict over water in Bolivia is a conflict in which corporations fight against citizen:

“Cochabama is a semidesert region, water is scarce and precious. The World Bank recommended privatization of Cochabamba's municipal water supply company through a concession to International Water, a subsidiary of Bechtel. On October 1999, the Drinking Water and Sanitation Law was passed, ending government subsidies and allowing privatization.”

“In a city where the minimum wage is less than $100 a month, water bills reached $20 a month.”

“In January 2000, a citizen's alliance called The Coalition in Defense of Water and Life was formed. The alliance shut down the city for four days through mass mobilization.”

“The protesters issued the Cochabamba Declaration, calling for the protection of universal water rights.”

“In April 2000, the government tried to silence the water protests through martial law. Activists were arrested, protesters killed, and the media censored. Finally on April 10, 2000, the people won. Aguas del Tunari and Bechtel left Bolivia and the government was forced to revoke its hated water privatization legislation.”

Shiva, Vandana. Water Wars. Privatization, Pollution, and Profit. Cambrigde: South End Press. 2002. Print.