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| Central American University - UCA |
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Number 254 | Septiembre 2002 |
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Nicaragua
NICARAGUA BRIEFS
Envío team
PRIVATIZATION OF WATER SERVICE FRAUGHT WITH CONFLICTS
It is common knowledge that both Liberal and Sandinista leaders and the big business that now supports Bolaños benefited from the massive corruption characterizing the never-investigated privatization of public companies during both the Chamorro and Alemán governments.
Nonetheless, the country witnessed a new dimension of social struggle in response to the far from transparent project to privatize the distribution of drinking water. That plus the eventual selling of the water sources themselves, despite being Nicaragua’s most valuable natural resource, caught the attention of broad segments of the population all around the country. A coalition of 17 civil society organizations was formed, opening new perspectives of public debate.
This awakening of grassroots social interest encouraged legislators loyal to both Arnoldo Alemán and Daniel Ortega to climb on the bandwagon, joining forces in the National Assembly to suspend adjudication of the Hidrogesa hydroelectric plant, located in the northern Nicaraguan department of Jinotega, to the US company Coastal Power, which won the bid. It was a perfect way to get back at the big Nicaraguans capitalists supporting Bolaños, in this case those who bought stock in Coastal Power.
A TREASURE OF BEAUTY
Careful observation by two scientists resulted in their identification of 150 species of orchids and 250 species of birds in the Miraflor Natural Reserve in Estelí. The different kinds of orchids include those that grow on trees, rocks or in the soil itself. Some of the species are found in the dry part of the forest and others in the rainforest, while some are perfumed and others odorless. Among the birds are 15 species of hummingbirds, 17 of sparrow hawks and 4 of parrots, as well as toucans, herons, golden orioles, falcons, woodpeckers and many more. Of all these species, 50 are migratory birds that spend part of their life in Miraflor. The Miraflor Cooperatives Union (UCA) is promoting actions to find out more about this natural treasure and about eco-friendly productive practices for such a valuable natural environment.
STILL NOT MUCH HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
The latest Human Development Report prepared by UNDP, the United Nations Development Program, which was presented in late July in the Philippines, shows Nicaragua in 118th place among the 173 countries analyzed. The other positions in Central America are, from best to worst, Costa Rica (43), Panama (57), El Salvador (104), Honduras (116) and Guatemala (120). Among other relevant data, 33.5% of the Nicaraguan population above 15 years old is illiterate, while the fertility rate stands at an average 4.3 children per woman of fertile age.
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a monthly magazine of analysis on Central America