“Water is not a commercial product like any other but, rather, a heritage which must be protected, defended and treated as such.” - Preamble to the European Union Water Framework Directive, 2000Water is a scarce and finite resource with no substitute, only upon which the existence of life on this earth depends. During the last century, the population of the world has more than tripled, from 1.6 billion to over 6 billion, while water resources have remained constant. According to the United Nations World Water Development Report, 2003, About 2 billion people in over 40 countries are affected by water shortages, more than 1 billion people lack sufficient and safe drinking water and 2.4 billion have no provisions for sanitation. To overcome this problem, for the first time United Nations Water Conference recognized “Right of water”. declaring that “All peoples, whatever their stage of development and social and economic conditions, have the right to have access to drinking water in quantities and of a quality equal to their basic needs”. In 2012 Union of India introduced the Indian water policy. According to the policy, Water needs to be managed as a common pool community resource held, by the state, under public trust doctrine to achieve food security, support livelihood, and ensure equitable and sustainable development for all. This study deals with importance of national water policies and its relevance with protections of environment and water as Right, or as a Need, or an Economic Good and analyzes legal developments in India, to illustrate some of the ways in which States have implemented a legal right to water.
UN water Report, national water policies, water as a right
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