Francisco Pineda’s well has run dry, his dehydrated cattle produce dwindling quantities of milk and his production costs have soared. “Everyone around here is desperate because of the water shortage,” says the 46-year-old farmer and environmental activist in El Salvador’s northern department of Cabañas. “The water table sinks deeper every year, some land is no longer apt for agriculture and people can no longer irrigate their fields.” Pineda, however, refuses to quit. Instead, he is pinning his hopes on the proposed General Water Law, a landmark bill introduced in El Salvador’s unicameral Legislative Assembly by lawmakers allied with a coalition of environmental, religious and academic organizations. Presented in March after activists demonstrated for changes in the way water use is licensed, taxed and... [Log in to read more]