"Access to safe water is a fundamental human need and, therefore, a basic human right. Contaminated water jeopardizes both the physical and social health of all people. It is an affront to human dignity.” - Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General
Water is the most important resource for humans - We need it to drink, for cooking, for sanitation, and for growing food. The human body can't live for long without drinking water - several days at most - and if the water we drink is contaminated or unclean, our lives are endangered from waterborne diseases. And without water for proper sanitation, disease spreads rapidly throughout our communities. Without water for agriculture, our food supplies are threatened.
"The right to water is the entitlement of everyone to access to sufficient, affordable, accessible and safe water supplies and sanitation services. It places an obligation on states progressively to realize the right to water for all people without discrimination and on the basis of equality between men and women.
The right to water is a fundamental human right in itself, necessary to fulfill basic needs such as hygiene and sanitation. It is also essential for the realization of other human
rights, including the right to food, the right to health, the right to an adequate standard of living and, perhaps most obviously, the right to life." From The Right to Water
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According to the UN:
"Why does defining water as a human right make a difference?
Ensuring that access to sufficient safe water is a human right constitutes an important step towards making it a reality for everyone. It means that:
- fresh water is a legal entitlement, rather than a commodity or service provided on a charitable basis;
- achieving basic and improved levels of access should be accelerated;
- the “least served” are better targeted and therefore inequalities decreased;
- communities and vulnerable groups will be empowered to take part in decision making processes;"
Why is the right to water so contentious?
Part of it is the population issue, which comes up in discussions about environmental issues all the time. There are too many of us on the planet, people say, and therefore we need to control population, especially in the developing world. However, how can any human really believe that those humans alive right now should not have access to clean water?
Another piece that plays into the resistance to making water a basic human right is the privatization of water around the world. How can water continue to be profitable if it's a human right, guaranteed to all people?
For countries with abundant fresh water resources, the idea of making water a basic human right brings up fears that they would have to share their water with others, regardless of how that water may be used.
Water, a Basic Human Right
Issue 3 | January 2010