Niger's main workers' union and a collective of rights groups have called for the country not to renew Veolia Water's contract to oversee the production, sale and distribution of water in the country due to a row over price hikes, Reuters reported. Having worked in the country since 2001, Veolia is in talks with the West African nation's government to renew its contract, which ran out in May. But they are facing growing resistance due to a hike in the price, which came into effect in July. Veolia operates in Niger through a subsidiary called SEEN. The government is responsible for investing in infrastructure and setting water prices. "We are calling for SEEN to be nationalised and Veolia to leave," the CDTN, Niger's main workers' union, said in a letter published on Thursday. "We think the rise in the price of water per cubic metre is unacceptable and we demand that the move is cancelled so as not to provoke any social problems," the union added. A grouping of human rights groups, which has backed the union's calls, said price rises were inopportune as they came at a time of high costs for food and fuel. Niger has not seen any widespread protests over the rising cost of living but it is one of Africa's poorest nations. It relies on imports and is frequently hit by drought. The government has said that higher consumer prices for water are needed as part of efforts to push through reforms and pay back concessional loans to donors. The percentage of homes with access to drinking water has risen from 64 percent to nearly 74 percent over the last decade, according to official statistics. -- SPA
