KYOTO -- Sumika Perera is in the midst of a fight against the Sri Lankan government and international lending agencies, which are trying to privatize her country's water.
One pillar of the Sri Lanka Poverty Reduction Strategy, which was agreed upon in 2002 by the government and the World Bank, is the promotion of a public-private partnership in the water supply, sewerage and sanitary service sectors.
A new water resource act is now stalled in the country's parliament, according to Perera, who for the last 20 years has been working for the Women's Development Foundation, a nongovernmental organization to improve the livelihood of women.
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