04/21/23 1

Water as a Human Right

“You ain’t gonna miss your water until your well

runs dry.” ~Bob Marley

04/21/23 2

“In today’s world, water is something morethan a source of life……Water is a human right – and noneof us should turn a blind eye to theviolation of human rights. Nor should wetolerate a world in which over 1 millionchildren are…dying for a glass of water and a

toilet.”Kevin Watkins

Director, Human Development Report

5 Water Issues Identified by the United Nations

Diseases caused by contaminated water

Women’s responsibility in water collection

Conflicts over water Inequitable access and cost of water Water pollution

04/21/23 3

04/21/23 4

Diseases Caused By Contaminated Water

Right now almost half the population of the developing world suffer from diseases because of dirty water and inadequate sanitation

04/21/23 5

•80% of all illnesses and deaths are related to water borne diseases•A water-related illness kills a child every 8 seconds

04/21/23 6

Raw sewage mixed with drinking water is a recipe for infectious disease

04/21/23 7

Water and Women

In many societies women have the greatest responsibilities in terms of water use and management

Women and children living in rural Africa spend as much as 3 hours per day fetching water

A major reason girls drop out of school in developing countries is because they do not have access to toilet facilities (globally, 2.4 billon people do not have access to toilets).

04/21/23 8

For girls, the lack of clean water close to home turns into lost opportunities to go to school, learn marketable skills, and fully participate in their communities.

04/21/23 9

Studies suggest that if a woman only had to carry water for one hour a day (instead of three) she could earn an additional US $100 each year.

04/21/23 10

Conflicts over water

• In most of the developing world, unclean water is a greater threat to human lives than violent conflict

• 2 out of 5 people live in water basins shared by multiple countries or territories

Fighting over water is just as big of a conflict as fighting over oil in some countries

04/21/23 11

Available Water

04/21/23 12

Inequality of water

If you live in a slum in Manila, you pay more for your water than people living in the rich part of London

To get water, the poor walk great distances, wait hours, and compete with other equally desperate people for the precious resource

04/21/23 13

Can you imagine waiting in line for one bucket of water?

04/21/23 14

Water Wasters?

325 gallons of water are consumed per person per day in

Las Vegas, possibly more

than any other city in the world…

04/21/23 15

Compared To…

…Indonesia, where children bathe,

wash clothes and drink from this polluted river

basin. The average person in Indonesia

consumes 5 gallons per day.

04/21/23 16

Water costs nothing for those with everythingAnd everything for those with nothing…

JPC COMMENT: put U.S. slides here also – suburban, rural, urban, etc.

04/21/23 17

A woman collects water from a local stone tap in the Thimi District near Kathmandu, Nepal.

(Photo provided by R. Dies)

Water Pollution

Did you know that pollution of the Nile River is considered to be one of the most dangerous hazards affecting modern day Egypt?

Pollution is caused by an increase in population, as well as modern agriculture and industry techniques

The worst and most preventable cause is human laziness and error

04/21/23 18

04/21/23 19

Ganges River Basin, India

Ganges River pollution makes it an unsanitary water resource

04/21/23 20

Alexandra Township, Johannesburg, South Africa

Children crossing contaminated river source to get to school

04/21/23 21

Would you drink this water?

04/21/23 22

What governments need do to reverse the crisis…

Make 20 liters (5 gallons) of clean fresh water for each person, everyday, a recognized and upheld human right

Regulate water conservation Ensure that the poor get water for free International aid donors must fund sanitation and

water projects Make clean water and sanitation a national

priority, and provide funding for development projects

04/21/23 23

Be An Agent of Change!

As youth, we are in a unique position: we have energy, time and enthusiasm. Now is the time for action. Get involved!

04/21/23 24

What Can You Do?

Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth

Change water taps at home to economy taps

Educate yourself about the water and sanitation crisis

Monitor and conserve your water usage

Start with word of mouth…Tell friends, classmates, your parents about this issue

Send letters, postcards, and emails to your government on water and sanitation issues

If you live in a water-rich area, help raise money to fund projects in places that are in need of clean water

04/21/23 25

04/21/23 26

04/21/23 27

Water is fundamental for life and health. The human right to water is

indispensable for leading a healthy life in human dignity. It is a requirement of

realizing all other human rights.

-The United Nations Committee on Economic, Cultural and Social Rights, Environment News Service, 27 Nov 02

04/21/23 28

Every human should have the idea of taking care of the environment, of nature, of water. So using too much or wasting water should have some kind of feeling or sense of concern. Some sort of responsibility and with that, a sense of discipline.

-The 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatsoquoted in Peter Swanson's Water: The Drop of Life, 2001

04/21/23 29

I understood when I was just a child that without water, everything dies. I

didn't understand until much later that no one "owns" water. It might rise on your property, but it just

passes through. You can use it, and abuse it, but it is not yours to own. It is part of the global community, not "property" but part of our life

support system.

-Marq de Villiers, Water, 2000

04/21/23 30

“I can make one promiseand one wish. I promise that

I will never be careless towardswater from now on, and

I wish that every single personon this planet would follow

my lead.”Raffia Saleem, Pakistan

04/21/23 31

You can live for 40 days without food…..

But only 5 3 days without water…

04/21/23 32

ACTION"It only takes a single thought to move the world.”

Resources for the PowerPoint Presentation

•Water: H2O= Life. American Museum of Natural History 10 July 2008. http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/water/?section=healthywater

•Associated Press. “Pipe Break Spills Sewage into the Hudson.” The New York Times. 6 May 2007: Forums sec. 19 July 2008.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07EFDD1531F930A25756C0A9619C8B63

•Polaris Institute. Africa: Cruel Irony: Water Costs the Most for Those Who Can Least Afford It. 9 November 2006. 10 July 2008. http://www.polarisinstitute.org/africa_cruel_irony_water_costs_the_most_for_those_who_can_least_afford_it

•United Nations Human Development Report 2006-Water Rights and Wrong. “Dealing with Inequality.” 2006. 10 July 2008. http://hdr.undp.org/external/hdr2006/water/16.htm

•United Nations Human Development Report 2006-Water Rights and Wrong. “Water Crossing Borders.” 2006. 10 July 2008. http://hdr.undp.org/external/hdr2006/water/24.htm

•Web Women Giving Circle. What This Woman Would Give Just To Have A Faucet! 10 September 2007. 10 July 2008. <http://www.realtown.com/CAREmoreGivingCircle/blog/wateradvocacy