The Human Right to Water for All

In the discussion of universal human rights, there is nothing more basic than the human right to water. As one of the foundational needs of life, this issue is an ethical dilemma of global proportions. The human right to water pertains to sufficient, safe, accessible, and affordable water for all people. This basic right is recognized generally in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, (Article 3 — Right to life, liberty, and Personal Security; and Article 25 — Right to an Adequate Living Standard) and specifically recognized in various international treaties. However, we are in the midst of a water crisis of global proportions as the right to water is being eroded by the inclusion of water as commodity in other international trade treaties and conventions and as we face the effects of worsening climate change due to global warming, environmental pollution, and an increasing world population. As is often the case, it comes down to a matter of power, both political and economic, as the victims in the water crisis are generally poor, women, and racial and ethnic minorities.
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) argues that the roots of the crisis can be traced to the issues of poverty and inequality and demonstrates how the lack of water creates cycles of poverty, gender inequity, disease and death. Unfortunately the international community has yet to make this issue a priority and so this basic human right is denied to millions of people. The issue is not the amount of water available; there is not a shortage of water. The issue rather is focusing attention on the extreme human toll of dirty water and inadequate sanitation which is the second largest killer of children worldwide, and creating a will to reverse the situation.
The current situation is sobering with millions of lives at stake. The situation grows worse by the day, especially in light of the effects of global warming. On March 12, 2009, thousands of climate scientists meeting in Copenhagen updated the findings of a 2007 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ahead of U.N. talks in December on a new global climate treaty. Their conclusion issued a strong warning that global warming is accelerating beyond the worst predictions and threatens to trigger "irreversible" shifts on the planet. The shifts include changing rainfall patterns (in which dry areas become dryer and wet areas become wetter) an increase in extreme weather events and a drastic rise in sea levels. All these issues relate to the issue of water as a basic human right and will continue to grow in the future.
The hope for mitigating climate change (at least to some extent) lies in the de-carbonization of the global atmosphere and political will regarding this issue remains to be seen. Yet the cost to rectify the basic situation regarding access to clean, accessible and affordable water for all is relatively modest. It is estimated that 10 billion dollars would drastically improve access to water and sanitation for millions of people and save the lives of 1.8 million children annually. Although this price tag seems enormous, it equals what the world governments spend on military hardware alone every eight days. What is lacking is the will on the part of the international community to make this issue a top priority.
As Professor Amesbury states in Faith and Human Rights, “the biggest impediment to the realization in practice of human rights remains the lack of adequate mechanisms for enforcement.” (37) Amesbury notes further that the pressure of public opinion usually carries more weight than the threat of collective action. So where does that leave us? As a Unitarian Universalist who affirms the inherent worth and dignity of all people and understands the interdependent web of existence of we are but a part (our first and seventh principles), the issue of water as a basic human right is of utmost importance. Raising awareness about this issue and supporting efforts to prioritize water rights locally, statewide, nationally and globally is vital to making a change.