Factsheet on the
RIGHT TO WATER
The Key to Health, Hygiene, and Human Dignity
WATER! WHY IS IT A HUMAN RIGHT?
The world is facing a catastrophic crisis: over a
billion people are denied access to the most
fundamental element of life - clean water. This is not
just a need, but a basic human right, recognized by
international
law
and
Zimbabwe's
national
constitution. Yet, despite this recognition, millions
continue to suffer and die from water-borne diseases
and malnutrition. The scarcity of water not only
threatens human life but also fuels internal conflict,
particularly in rural areas and high-density suburbs.
It's imperative that we acknowledge water as a
human right and develop robust mechanisms to
ensure its availability, or risk perpetuating a cycle of
suffering, inequality, and instability.
Less than
Water
stress is
defined as
an annual water
supply less than
1700
1%
of the Earth’s
total water is
available fresh
water, the rest is
salt water, locked
in ice caps, or
inaccessible.
and more than
1000
cubic meters per
person.
460
million
people
currently
suffer serious
water
shortages.
As population,
industrialization,
and
pollution grow, the
worldwide renewable
water supply per
person has fallen
Water
Supply
58%
Water Stress in
the Future: by
2025
3.5 billion
people
If the current
consumption rates
continue an additional
25%
(48% of
the
projected
population
of the world’s
population will
become water
stressed.
ACCESS AND COVERAGE
Access and coverage
Population Without Access to Adequate Water
Supply: 1.1 billion people (one-sixth of world
population)
Population Without Access to Adequate Sanitation
Facility: 2.4 billion
To reach Universal Coverage by 2025, 3 billion
people will need to be served with water supply
RIGHT TO WATER IN ZIMBABWE
77 Right to food and water
Every person has the right to— (a) safe, clean and
potable water; and (b) sufficient food; and the State
must take reasonable legislative and other measures,
within the limits of the resources available to it, to
achieve the progressive realisation of this right
INTERNATIONAL LAW
The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights
supports the human right to water. Furthermore, the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCP), the
legally binding documents which support the
Universal Declaration, support the human right to
water and national governments’ obligation to fulfill
this right. The UN recommends that investments in
water infrastructure and sanitation facilities;
protection and restoration of water- related
ecosystems; and hygiene education are among the
steps necessary to ensure universal access to safe
and affordable drinking water for all by 2030.
The percentage of Water Loss through Distribution System
in Large Cities by Country: Africa – 39%
+263 77 488 3406
zppinfo@myzpp.com