Human Rights Council
Availability of Clean Drinking Water
Water is a fundamental human need and therefore, a basic human right. It is such a vital role in nearly ever body function and thus, contaminated water jeopardizes physical, as well as social health in all individuals. The lack of safe drinking water is immense, and it is a violation of human rights for clean drinking water to be inaccessible and unsafe. Contaminated water causes serious diseases, including diarrhoeal diseases, that kill over two million people each year, the majority of this figure being children in developing countries. The effects of contaminated water can sometimes be overlooked, especially by those who do not have to be concerned with the purity of their water. The death toll from diarrhea among children far exceeds that for HIV/AIDS among children, and a child dies ever 15 seconds from this disease. Water is also essential for agriculture, hygiene and various cultural purposes. Safe drinking water can be from sources such as protected springs and wells, and unfortunately, at least 1.1 billion people have no access to any of these sources. Availability of clean drinking water has extended effects on the economy, as well as education for children. The human right to be educated is impacted by the issue of contaminated water because with unsafe water comes ill children, and therefore, increased absences and drop-outs in school. The right to health was recognized in 1946 when the Constitution of the World Health Organization, stated that the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human. In 2000,the United Nations Committee on Economic,Social and Cultural Rights, adopted a General Comment on the right to health interpreted the right to health as an inclusive right that extends not only to quick and appropriate health care but also to the factors that determine good health, including access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation. Defining water as a human right is extremely important because it is being violated in so many places in the world that need help from other nations because of their political or economic situations. It is not only charity to provide people in need with clean water, they actually have a legal entitlement to it. Approaching the situation of providing clean drinking water to all people from the perspective of human rights, rather than seeing the people as passive aid recipients, puts the individual at the center of the development. This approach is premised upon freedom of discrimination (racially, economically, by gender, etc.) and accountability, in the sense that adequate laws, policies and practices are required.