El Salvador's president threatens to veto water law

President Nayib Bukele is threatening to veto amendments to a proposed water law that has been stuck in El Salvador’s national assembly for 15 years.

Debate was reactivated last year, but only 52 of the 160 amendments have been approved, according to representative Dina Argueta. With his veto, Bukele wants to avoid passing “rushed laws,” according to a press release.

“Water law approved by the outgoing deputies? No, gentlemen. Veto! They understand what political irrelevance means, right?” Bukele (pictured) tweeted. His press office then said Bukele will not negotiate with outgoing representatives.

“The water law that is being discussed is divided into several laws that do not allow the true management of the resource at present: the aqueduct and sewer law, the environmental law, the fishing law and irrigation and watershed management law,” Rodrigo Samayoa, chief sustainability officer at Ternova, told BNamericas.

Bukele’s party, Nuevas Ideas, will dominate the national assembly from April 30, which could make passing laws easier. He also suggested that water management is a key issue.

After announcing plans for his own water law in March 2020, Bukele appointed in October the former president of water regulator Anda, Frederick Benítez, as a presidential commissioner for water. Benítez was tasked with writing a proposal. 

Earlier this week, he told Radio El Salvador that “we have huge amounts of water in the Salvadoran territory, but there has been no infrastructure to capture water. We have to propose new policies and projects and guarantee water to future generations.”

He added, “we have prepared a proposal for a water law with the technical support of the [UN's] Food and Agriculture Organization. The law is focused on human consumption, industry and recreation; it is a law that includes everyone.”

Part of the plans include reforestation in 114 municipalities in El Salvador’s section of the dry corridor along Pacific coast. The area has been subject to extreme droughts which have been blamed for an increase in migration and food insecurity.

Recently, protests to demand access to water have erupted.

A major sticking point of the law in the national assembly has been the water authority’s board. An agreement last year involved appointing members from the private sector but a fierce public backlash forced an end to the debate. 

Earlier this week, the environment commission decided all five members would come from the public sector, but Bukele has rejected the decision. The commission suggested the president select the authority’s head while the environment (Marn), economy (Minec), agriculture (MAG) and health (Minsal) ministries could appoint one representative each.

Ternova’s Samayoa said large parts of the rural water system have been privately managed since the 1990s, often regulated by community development entity Adesco and water boards. Samayoa said that without the law, water management will only get worse.

“There is no perfect model. There are examples of successful private management, there are examples of successful public management, the important thing is to be able to find the right solution for the right demographic,” Samayoa said.