Water as a human right

An example from the South Africa Case Study

06.06.2006 |Sascha Gabizon

Only a few countries have made formal legal commitments to acknowledge a right to water, but even fewer have matched an explicit right to water in their constitutions with actual implementation. One such example is South Africa, where the Bill of Rights of the Constitution states: ‘Everyone has the right to have access to sufficient food and water.’

In South Africa, water scarcity is a limiting factor for development. The value of water is therefore high in all aspects of society, the economy and the environment. The social value of water is founded in the desperate need of the 3.6 million people (8% of the population) who currently do not have access to any water supply infrastructure, and the 9 million people (39%of the population) who do not receive minimum basic water supply services. Poverty is the foremost social concern, and the government aims to address the needs of the poorest in society by ensuring access to basic services through dedicated programmes for infrastructure and free basic water services. The government is giving increasing attention to social programmes in poverty-stricken areas to reduce the vulnerability of poor households. An example of this is the development of food plots and vegetable gardens for poor communities. Furthermore, institutional reform is underway to facilitate equitable access to water resources and representation in water management institutions.

South African water reform is a very comprehensive and innovative approach to water management, allowing for more holistic, people-centred and ecological approaches to the governance of water.

This is an excerpt from the South Africa Case Study Report, one of the case studies that was included in the case study chapter of the 2nd United Nations World Water Development Report, 'Water, a Shared Responsibility' (WWDR2).

Read more about the South Africa case study

Read more about the WWDR2 case studies