WATER ABLAZE - Patagonia Sin Represas

the architect of the scheme, Voith-Siemens Hydro Power Generation,
one of the most powerful players in this field. At the Siemens website,
however, we find the same kind of philanthropic mush frequently served
up by the big companies: “We take responsibility for the community
at large – and are actively involved in creating a better world. Our
ideas, technology and deeds are of service to humanity, society and
the environment. The way we treat our employees, business partners
and shareholders is governed by our integrity.”
India has also been the scene of further water-related clashes. In
2000, Coca Cola started operating a factory for the bottling of table
water and the production of beverages in Plachimada, in the state of
Kerala. After only one year, ground water levels in the vicinity began
to fall so drastically that the wells sifted up and the native population
began to protest. The local government, the Panchayat, decided not to
extend Coca Cola’s franchise on account of this. In April 2005, Kerala’s
Supreme Court declared this decision null and void, saying that Coca
Cola’s practice was quite legal. The ruling was based on a “specialist
report” concerning the ground water situation. It later emerged that
one member of the specialist panel was a representative for Coca Cola.
w w w . n a r m a d a . o r g (English)
w w w . i n d i a r e s o u r c e . o r g (English)
4.7 Colombia – The Conflict with Coca Cola
In Colombia, this very same soft drinks company is having to face fierce
criticism: Sinaltrainal, the food industry’s trade union, is accusing Coca
Cola of being involved in the murder of eight union members and
suspects this company and several others of being too closely linked to
the paramilitary.
In December 2001, Sinaltrainal’s president, Luis Javier Correa
Suárez, commented on several incidents in an interview: “The first
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