The human right to water

In this unit, we are going to learn and understand that the human right to water is one that everyone in the world should enjoy, and that we also have duties and responsibilities in the care and protection of water.

• Exercise 3

It has not been an easy task to have the human right to water recognised.

Read the following text carefully.

1. Bolivia and the Water War
2. In September 1999, the president of Bolivia at the time, Hugo Benzer, privatised the water service.
   
   This decision led to a 50% increase in the price of water. As households had to pay so much for water they could not afford to send their children to school or take them to see the doctor.
   
   After a series of confrontations involving both men and women, in which seven people were killed and more than 175 injured, the Bolivian government decided to cancel the contract it had signed with the company, and re – nationalized the water.

1. Bolivia therefore campaigned for the recognition of the Right to Water as a human right, which was finally approved by the United Nations in 2010.

Source: compiled by author.

In Bolivia’s case, one of the five words described above was not fulfilled: sufficient, safe, acceptable, accessible and affordable, which one of these words are we referring to?