   Water. It covers a huge part of our planet, and it is essential to life. Ninety-seven percent of the water on Earth is salt water. Of the other 3 percent, which is fresh water, two-thirds is frozen, locked in glaciers and inaccessible to us. Less than 1 percent of the world’s fresh water (or about 0.007 percent of all water on Earth) is readily accessible for direct human use. ¹
   The roles that water plays on our big blue marble are many. Water is a universal solvent. It is a carrier of minerals and organic materials. It has the second highest specific heat capacity of any substance on Earth, which means it plays a powerful role in regulating our planet’s temperature.
   For humans, access to clean water is necessary for life itself. Water-related diseases kill 3.575 million people each year ²; 43% of water-related deaths are due to diarrhea, and approximately one in eight people, 1.1 billion people, lack access to safe water supplies. ³
   Unfortunately, the idea of water as a basic human right is not affirmed by many world leaders. It seems that water is considered a human need but not a right. Changing the way we think about water on a global level is key to raising the quality of life for all people.

Water, a Basic Human Right

Water: A Basic Human Right

by Derek Markham

   "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 ⁴
Thirst

   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

pg 8

Countries with large populations or with high water use would be considered parasites on the water supply, which brings us back to the world population issue. Nobody wants to be told how much water they can use, even knowing that people in the developed world use many, many times the amount of water as those in developing countries.
Water is a basic human right. Without it, no other rights are possible. How can one enjoy "the right to life, liberty and security of person" without water? Or how about this human right? "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." Dying of easily preventable, common ailments from drinking contaminated water seems to be “inhuman” thereby making access to clean water a right as basic as any set down by the UN Declaration, even if it's not explicitly spelled out.
Do you believe access to clean water should be considered a basic human right?

¹ Health in water resources development
² World Health Organization, Safer water, better health
³ Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation
4 The Right to Water

Derek Markham is a father, writer, and social media butterfly who enjoys bikes, bouldering, and slacklining. He can usually be found on Twitter, Natural Papa, Twilight Earth, Blue Living Ideas, and Green Living Ideas, as well as dropping random goodness into DerekMarkham.com. Connect with him on Facebook.

Water, a Basic Human Right