World Water Day: Advocating for “Free Rivers” in Argentina and Brazil

Mega-dams infringing on people's rights

There are plans to build two more mega-dams in the Uruguay River between Argentina and Brazil. “The Garabí-Panambi Hydroelectric Complex has caused controversy over the environmental impact on the fast-flowing river,” explains Rucks. In 2015, the environmental licensing process for the Panambi plant was suspended with a court ruling. “That was a great success for our advocacy efforts.”

In addition to environmental impacts, these dams generally affect small farmers, peasants, the landless, indigenous people, fisher people, “ribeirinhos” (communities that live along the riverbanks), and “quilombolas” (black communities), mineral miners, as well as urban populations, Rucks explains.

He said that churches have advocated for “Free Rivers” together with civil society organizations such as the “Movement of those Affected by Dams” (Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens) that fights to guarantee the rights of these populations, principally to land and calling for a new, alternative, popular energy model for Brazil.

Water as a tool for peace

For water to be a “tool for peace”, UN Water calls for a human rights-based approach to water management. The various actors at the community, national and transboundary levels must “ensure the effective participation of rights holders”, particularly of the communities living adjacent to water bodies, “to prevent internal and cross-border conflicts”.

Rucks is convinced that a lot remains to be done: “Let us not lose heart,” he said in his “Free Rivers” sermon. “Let us sit in the shade of the trees along the river. Let us pray, let us dream, let us fight.”

According to UN Water, the benefits of uniting around water could be “delivering safe drinking water and sanitation, enhancing food security, sustaining healthy livelihoods and ecosystems, helping to address resilience to climate change, contributing to disaster risk reduction, [...] and fostering regional integration and peace.”