Last Sunday 400,000 people (organisers’ estimate; the police estimated 150,000) gathered on the streets of Barcelona to demonstrate their opposition to the Plan Hidrológico Nacional (National Hydrological Plan), which was adopted by the Spanish government in June 2001. The plan calls for the building of 120 new dams and would also redirect the flow of the Ebro River. These projects would lead to the destruction of many designated nature conservation areas, including the Ebro Delta, and would have a detrimental effect on much of the plant and wildlife that is native to the area.

Although the plan was developed to address water shortages in parts of Spain, opponents argue that the plan only encourages wasteful use of water, and is not a sustainable solution. They call for a decrease in water usage, especially by industry and public services which waste large amounts of water by failing to clean and reuse waste water.

The cost of all Plan Hidrológico Nacional (PHN) projects will total more than 23 billion Euro ($20 billion USD), most of which will be passed on to those who purchase the water, both industry/commercial users and household consumers.

A worldwide movement is growing for a South Africa, water privatisation led to more than 200 deaths from cholera and typhoid after water service was stopped to poor neighbourhoods. In 1999, Bolivia privatised its water resources following a mandate by the World Bank. After prices were nearly doubled, thousands of people a href="http://barcelona.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=13875&group=webcast">" somos l*s aguas", representing the "River of Life," walked through the crowd wearing nothing but blue body paint.

Police presence was minimal – just a few police cars were in side streets - and they seemed anxious not to anger the huge crowd. There were no arrests.

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