The theme of water has become one of those that cause greatest concern.  For society, due to its scarcity and ever-rising prices and difficulty to accede the liquid.  For the companies, because of their greed and uncontrolled desires to make a business out of this resource that is indispensable for all life.  For the governments, because of their concerns of how to place this resource in the hands of private businesses.

Privatizations have so far extended to tangible and intangible resources, from that which you can touch to that which you cannot, smells, colors, flavors, sounds and words, as well as factories, highways, banks, maritime ports, airports, railways, telephone lines, postal and other public services including trash collection, security, education, health, graveyards, jails or electricity… Privatizations have also reached the land, plants, oceans or even the sky.  Even oxygen is sold.  But they had not yet privatized, for all their ambition for accumulation and the richness of its great capital, the last trench at the foundation of life: water.

Companies that work in mining, aluminum, hydroelectricity, automobiles, textiles, petroleum and soft drinks such as Coca-Cola, among others, all follow water.  Newly these great transnational companies represented by their governments, which are not the governments of the people, and making use of the instruments of neoliberal globalization, give a hand to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), among other International Financial Institutions (IFIs) to pressure governments into privatizing water and placing it in the hands of huge transnational corporations that already today have in their hands wells, aquifers, rivers, and water distribution in cities all over the world.  This would mean giving corporations the key to life, that they would give us permission to live and exist.  An estimated 50% of the water in the world is already privatized!

IN CHIAPAS

Coca-Cola, after the victory of President Vicente Fox, who represents the transnational in Mexico, increased its installations in Chiapas in the use of land for extraction, processing and bottling water in the richest aquifer in San Cristobal de las Casas, in the slopes of Huitepec Hill, an ecological reserve administered by a conservationist NGO, Pronatura, and indicated as an environmentalist organization that receives money from Coca-Cola Mexico.

In September 2000, the Kampe company reported to Coca-Cola FEMSA in San Cristobal de las Casas the results of the solicited analysis of the two wells from which the water is supplied.  In water well number two they reported in “Type of Predominant Germ” the result “enterobacter sp.”  As for the presence of fungus and fecal coliform organisms, the result was “negative.”  Nonetheless, Kampe reported to Coca-Cola that the “process water” in the plant contained more than double the amount of lead permitted by sanitation authorities.  But Coca-Cola did not do anything.  Two months later, the Kampe laboratories gave a second result.  Again, the sample identified as No. TK-12470 of “process water” had more than two times the amount of lead permitted by sanitation authorities (NOM-041-SSA1).  This means that between the first and second sample, millions of crates of water and Coca-Cola soft drinks were consumed with high levels of lead.  And it is probable that in between the first and second samples the situation was the same.

At the beginning of the new millennium, consumers reported that Agua Ciel from Coca-Cola had some sort of slime inside a sealed bottle.  Coca-Cola confirmed that two lots of the Agua Ciel product from the Villahermosa plant in the state of Tabasco had a fungal growth, for which they recalled all contaminated products that had entered the market and were distributed in stores.  At the end, they had to exchange approximately 100 boxes of Agua Ciel in stores in San Cristobal; some shopkeepers complained because Coca-Cola personnel asked them for contaminated bottles but did not give them any new ones in exchange.  Nonetheless, in the “Organizational Culture” document of Coca-Cola FEMSA, it is established in its “Acting Principles” in “orientation of the client: guarantee complete satisfaction of internal and external clients and consumers, offering them products and services that meet the highest quality standards.”

IN POLAND

Poor washing of containers produced mold in the mineral water Bonaqa in Poland.  So, Coca-Cola decided to recall from the Polish market in 1999 all the 33 centiliter glass bottles of all its brands in the country, which constituted 12% of its total production in Poland and included Orange Fanta, Lemon Fanta, Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Light, Toné, Kinley and Bonaqa.

IN PANAMA.

In May 2003, the National Authority of the Environment announced that it was fining Coca-Cola $300,000 for polluting the River Matasnillo, the Panama Bay and the ecosystem of the city with colorants.

IN COLUMBIA

Coca-Cola sold contaminated drinks, as the Tribunal of Popayán showed in Columbia in 1991.

IN BELGIUM, HOLLAND, LUXEMBOURG, AND FRANCE

In June 1999 the countries of Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg recalled Coca-Cola products from the market because they were contaminated and advised against the consumption of those that had been sold, because they had already discovered more than 200 cases of poisoned people.  The Coca-Cola products had an excess of carbon dioxide in the bottle from the Amberes plant (in northern Belgium) as well as rat poisoning in the pallets used in transportation of the cans of Coca-Cola made in Dunkirk (France).  The government of France also suspended sales of some Coca-Cola products.  Doctors discovered in some of those poisoned an excessive destruction of red globules in the blood, which can cause anemia, renal insufficiency and, in extreme cases, death.  The products recalled from the market included traditional Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Light, Caffeine-Free Coca-Cola, Caffeine-Free Coca-Cola Light, Sprite, Sprite Light, Nestea, Nestea Splash, Acuarius in lemon, orange and grape flavors, Bon Aqua and Kinley tonic.

IN ENGLAND

In March 2004 Coca-Cola admitted that its Dasani brand water was common tap water and that it sold in half-liter bottles.  Coca-Cola immediately withdrew 500,000 bottles from the market, arguing that it also detected levels of bromate that exceeded legal norms in Great Britain.  According to Reuters, around one of every five bottles of water that are sold in the world are produced from tap water and not taken directly from springs.

IN INDIA

The Coca-Cola plant in Plachimada, India, has contaminated rural lands, water and air since it arrived in 1998.  The wells have dried up and the little that there is in the community with 2,000 families is no longer good for drinking.  Coca-Cola also “donated” toxic mud from its plant to the farmers as fertilizer.  Coca-Cola illegally extracts water from six wells and in other dry wells it dumps its contaminated residues.  Also, its products contain pesticides, insecticides and other carcinogens such as cadmium, malathion, and lindane, which also cause cancer in indigenous communities in Chiapas (see www.ciepac.org).  Faced with this, Coca-Cola began to distribute water in trucks for the communities.  The population has protested and Indian authorities have arrested more than 300 people opposing Coca-Cola.

In August and September of 2003, the police repressed peaceful protests against Coca-Cola.  In October, the government threatened to cancel the well operation even as the Indian parliament prohibited the sale of Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola products in its cafeteria.  In January 2004, hundreds of protesters marched in India against the contamination of Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola drinks.  Among the contaminated brands were: Coca-Cola, Fanta, Pepsi, Pepsi Light, orange and lemon Mirinda, Seven-Up, and Sprite.  The study by the Center for Science and Environment showed that the soft drinks had levels of pesticides 30 times (Coca-Cola) and 36 times (Pepsi-Cola) that permitted by European regulations.  All of them contained DDT (for use against mosquito plagues in crops), which cannot be ingested by humans because it can cause cancer and serious damage to the immune system.  In April 2003, of the 7,000 people who protested against Coca-Cola, 1,900 were arrested for demanding the annulment of the agreement for the foreign transnational to take 75,000 liters of water per day from a region that already suffers for lack of water.

Did you know that the Coca-Cola Company sells and is the owner of more than 324 types of soft drinks in the world?  Among them are: A&W, Ades, Alive, Almdudler, Ambasa, American, Andifrut, Andina Nectar, Aqua, Aquactive, Aquana, Aquarius, Aqvaris, Arwa, Aybal, Bacardi Mixers, Barq's, Beat, Belte, Beverly, Bibo, Bimbo, Bimbo Break, Bistrone, Bjare, BlackFire, Bom Bit Maesil, Bonaqua/Qa, BPM, Bright And Early, Burn, Buzz, Caffeine Free Coca-Cola, Caffeine Free Coke Light/Diet Coke, Cal King, Calypso, Canada Dry, Canning's, Cappy, Caprice, Carvers, Ciel, Citra, Coca-Cola, Cocoteen, Coke II, Cresta, Cristal, Crush, Crystal, Cumberland Gap, Chafresco, Chaho, Charrua, Cheers, Cherry Coke, Chinotto, Chinotto Light, Chippewa, Chivalry, Dannon, Dasani Water, Delaware Punch, DESCA, diet A&W, diet Almdudler, diet Andina Nectar/Andina Nectar Lt, diet Barq's, diet Canada Dry, diet Coke/Coca-Cola light, diet Coke/Coca-Cola light with lemon, diet Crush, diet Charrua, diet Cherry Coke, diet Dr Pepper, diet Fanta, diet Inca Kola, diet Kia Ora, diet Krest, diet Lift, diet Lilt, diet Mello Yello, diet Minute Maid Soft Drink, diet Mr Pibb, diet Nestea Cool, diet Nestea/Nestea Light, diet Oasis, diet Schweppes, diet Sprite/Sprite Light, diet Squirt, diet Tai, diet Vanilla Coke, Disney Hundred Acre Wood, Disney Xtreme Coolers, Dorna, Dr Pepper, Drim, Eight O'Clock, Eight O'Clock Fountain, Eight O'Clock Litro Pack, Emblem, Eva, Evian, Fanta, Finley, Fioravanti, Five Alive, Fontana, Fraser & Neave, Freezits, Fresca, Frescolita, Freskyta, Frestea, Frisco, Frugos, Fruit Labo, Fruit Tree , Fruitia, Fruitopia, Fruitopia Tea, Fruktime, Frutina, Frutonic, Funchum, Georgia, Georgia Club, Georgia Gold, Gini, Gira, Gold Spot, Grand Blue, Grapette, Guarana Jesus, H2OK, Hanul Yeon Cha, Hawai, Hi Spot, Hi-C, Hit, Horizon, Huang, Ice Cold Mix, Ice Dew, Ice Mountain, Inca Kola, Itu, Izvorul Alb, Jaz Cola, Jet Tonic, Jinmeile, Jolly Juice, Joy, Jurassic Well, Kapo, Kapo Axion, Kapo Super Power, Kia Ora, Kilimanjaro, Kin, Kin Light, Kinley, KMX, Kochakaden, Koumi Soukai, Krest, Kuat, Kuat Light, Kuli, Leafs, Lift, Lilt, Limca, Limonade, Linnuse, Love Body, Maaza, Mad River, Magnolia, Magnolia Funchum, Magnolia Zip, Manzana Mia, Marocha, Master Chill, Master Pour, Mazoe, Meijin, Mello, Mello Yello, Mer, Mezzo, Miami, Mickey Mouse, Migoro-Nomigoro, Milo, Minaqua, Minute Maid, Minute Maid Juice To Go, Minute Maid Soft Drink, Mireille, Mr Pibb, Nagomi, Nalu, Namthip Water, Natua, Nectarin, Nescafe, Nestea, Nestea Cool, Nestle, Nevada, New Vegitabeta, Nihon Alps Mori No Mizudayori, Nordic Mist, Northern Neck, Nusta, Oasis, Odwalla, OK, Old Colony, Paani, Parle, Pepe Rico, Pilskalna, Planet Java, Play, Pocket Dr, Poiana Negri, Poms, Ponkana, Ponkana Litro Pack, Pop, Portello, POWERade, POWERade Light, Private Label, Pulp, Pump, Qoo, Quatro, Ramblin' Root Beer, Real Gold, Red Flash, Red Lion, Refresh Tea, Rimzim, Rio, Ripe N Ready, Risco, Riwa, Roses, Royal Tru, Samurai, Santiba, Santolin, Sarsi, Saryusaisai, Schweppes, Seagrams, Seasons, Seiryusabo, Seltz, Sensation, Sensun, Senzao, Shock, Simba, Simply Apple, Simply Orange, Slap, Smart, Sokenbicha, Solo, Sonfil, Soonsoo, Sparkle, Sparletta, Sparletta Iron Brew, Splash, Sport, Sports Plus, Sprite, Spur, Squirt, Stoney Ginger Beer, Sun Valley, Sunfill, Sunkist, Supa, Superkools, Surge, Tab, Tab Clear, Tab X-Tra, Tahitian Treat, Tai, Tasters Choice, Tavern, Tea World Collection, Thums Up, Tian Yu Di, Tiky, Top, Toppur, Tropical, Tuborg, Turkuaz, Tutti, Urge, Vanilla Coke, Vegitabeta, VICA, Vita, Vital, Vital O, Vitingo, Wannabe, Water Salad, Wink, Winnie the Pooh, Yangguang, Youki, Yumi, Zip. (TangaWorld).

For more information: www.corpwatch.org; Public Citizen www.wateractivist.org; El Panamá América-EPASA, Wednesday, May 28th, 2003; corpwatchindia.org; Diario El Mundo, June 10th, 1999; Consumers Internaional, Estados Unidos: Campaña contra Nestlé y Coca-Cola pro sobre explotar recursos de agua, www.consumidoresint.cl; www.solidaridad.net; India Resource Center, www.indiaresource.org; La Jornada, March 3rd, 2004; CNNenEspañol.com, Reuters, “Coca Cola retira su agua Dasani del mercado británico”, March 19th, 2004; www.elmundo.es/nuevaeconomia/2004/213/1079360229.html; El Mundo, March 2nd, 2004, “Coca Cola asegura que comercializa en España agua mineral”; Polaris Institute, www.polarisinstitute.org;  “Comparativa de consumo de agua de producción de Coca-Cola 2.5 lts vs. consumo en casa habitación de San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, México”, y “Proyección Proyectada para el 2004”, www.ciepac y CIEPAC files; www.elmundo.es/nuevaeconomia/2004/213/1079360229.html; http://hrw.org/spanish/informes/2004/elsalvador0604/

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