Original article: Día del Agua: organizaciones denuncian retroceso ambiental bajo gobierno de Kast

World Water Day: Organizations Highlight Environmental Backslide Under Kast Administration

On March 22, coinciding with World Water Day, numerous grassroots organizations, alongside local authorities and community groups, voiced urgent concerns about water and environmental protection, responding to what they termed a regression in environmental policies under the current administration of José Kast.

In a statement shared on social media, the organizations expressed alarm over what they perceive as an «aggressive» media saturation strategy and actions that suggest a rollback in economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights within just ten days of the new government.

The document warns that «the withdrawal of dozens of environmental decrees awaiting review by regulatory bodies, the signing of an agreement with the United States regarding rare earth mining, and the cessation of processing the Collective Bargaining Bill, create a scenario that deepens the neoliberal extractivist model, jeopardizing our territories, ecosystems, and living conditions.»

According to the groups, these choices contradict José Kast’s campaign rhetoric and represent a deterioration in the quality of life for the majority, exacerbating the concentration of economic and political power while diminishing communities’ ability to dictate the future of their own territories.

The document emphasizes that this situation is not unique to Chile but aligns with a global trend where far-right governments intensify the commodification of life, limit the protection of social rights, and deepen the exploitation of natural common goods.

«In this context, the fight for water becomes paramount, as it is an essential common good for life, a foundation of ecosystems, and the basis for social reproduction. Furthermore, it is more strategic than ever, particularly amidst the current escalation of the climate crisis and international conflicts. Thus, protecting it and halting the current over-exploitation of watersheds for productive use is crucial,» the statement adds.

The organizations aim to reclaim water as a fundamental and inalienable human right, advocating for its management to serve communities rather than market interests. Beyond water, they also seek to uphold rights to housing, health, education, labor, and urban living as essential foundations for a dignified life.

Additionally, the signatory groups reiterated the need for political, administrative, and fiscal decentralization that grants real power to regions and municipalities throughout Chile, to strengthen local governments and organized communities, which, they argue, currently lack effective mechanisms to tackle various challenges.

«World Water Day is not just a commemoration. It is an opportunity to articulate the different social demands throughout the country: the defense of water, the right to housing, education, environmental justice, the defense of workers’ rights, and the social reclamation of public assets. Because only through unity, awareness, and organization can we build a just and sovereign country,» the statement concludes.

Below are the signing organizations:

• MODATIMA Valparaiso
• Will for Chile
• La Florida Solidaria
• The Maipo in Movement
• Popular Council La Pintana
• Macul in Movement
• Assembly Everyone is San Joaquin
• Cultural Group La Calle San Miguel
• La Cisterna United
• Communities in Network San Bernardo
• The Voice of PAC – Popular Core Pudahuel
• Movement of Inhabitants in Struggle (MPL)
• Movement of Inhabitants for Dignified Housing (MPVD)