Water for all : an analysis of a human rights based approach to water access

Abstract

An interdisciplinary and qualitative study was undertaken to determine whether a human rights based approach would ensure each person's access to a water supply sufficient to meet her basic needs. A human right to water shows promise as a strategy for ensuring universal access to water if a broad, comprehensive human rights theory is ascribed to. In a coherent, comprehensive human rights theory, human rights are interdependent and indivisible from other human rights and are predicated upon a core unifying principle such as justice or human dignity for all. The language of many human rights documents indicates that a coherent, comprehensive human rights system was envisioned, but the practices and actions of many countries over the past fifty years indicate that this vision is strongly resisted. Absent such a comprehensive theory of human rights, a human right to water can have great impact as a moral and ethical justification that planners and policy-makers can use to implement programs that increase access to water. A human right to water can also increase participation in a dialogue about water management. This discussion concerning water management must be undertaken soon since a water crisis is looming and water wars are predicted.