Environmental collapse is expressed in multiple extremes: on one hand, drought and desertification devouring vast stretches of fertile land; on the other, heavy rainfall causing massive floods and widespread devastation; and also, the melting of the polar ice caps, which raises sea levels. In addition, the availability of drinking water is decreasing due to the overexploitation of sources, while demand is increasing due to population growth and excessive consumption in developed countries.

We are therefore at a crossroads: the human right to water has been internationally recognized, but the protection of that right by authorities has not been matched by the effectiveness required by law.

The Water Challenges

The UN summarizes the global challenges surrounding water in ten key statements. The four most representative are:

·         2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water services. Among them, 771 million do not even have access to basic drinking water services.

·         Over half of the world’s population (4.2 billion people) lack access to safely managed sanitation services.

·         Improved water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions could prevent around 400,000 deaths annually from diarrhoeal diseases in children under five.

·         80% of wastewater flows back into the ecosystem untreated or unreused.

Water as a Human Right

On 26 July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly recognized and declared the human right to water and sanitation. It also acknowledged that water is essential for the full realization of the right to life and all other human rights. This right obliges States to ensure access to a sufficient quantity of water for personal and domestic use (50 to 100 litres per person per day), which is safe and acceptable (drinkable), at an affordable cost (no more than 3% of household income), and within reasonable distance (maximum of 1 km or 30 minutes).

The Holy See, through the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, acknowledged this resolution in its Contribution to the 6th World Water Forum (Marseille, France, March 2012): Water, an essential element for life.

Water in the Social Doctrine of the Church

The Church’s first reflection on the environment states that the goods of the earth were created by God to be used wisely and shared justly and charitably for the benefit of all (cf. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church – CSDC, nn. 481–482). Later it specifies:

“The principle of the universal destination of goods also applies naturally to water, considered in the Sacred Scriptures as a symbol of purification (cf. Ps 51:4; Jn 13:8) and of life (cf. Jn 3:5; Gal 3:27). ‘As a gift from God, water is a vital element essential to survival; thus, everyone has a right to it.’ Satisfying the needs of all, especially of those who live in poverty, must guide the use of water and the services connected with it. Inadequate access to safe drinking water affects the well‑being of a huge number of people and is often the cause of disease, suffering, conflicts, poverty and even death. For a suitable solution to this problem, it ‘must be set in context in order to establish moral criteria based precisely on the value of life and the respect for the rights and dignity of all human beings’” (CSDC, n. 484).

 “By its very nature water cannot be treated as just another commodity among many, and it must be used rationally and in solidarity with others. The distribution of water is traditionally among the responsibilities that fall to public agencies, since water is considered a public good. If water distribution is entrusted to the private sector it should still be considered a public good. The right to water, as all human rights, finds its basis in human dignity and not in any kind of merely quantitative assessment that considers water as a merely economic good. Without water, life is threatened. Therefore, the right to safe drinking water is a universal and inalienable right” (CSDC, n. 485).

Laudato Si’

Pope Francis addresses the issue of water in his Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ (24 May 2015), in paragraphs 27 to 31. In a well-founded, clear, and prophetic account, he highlights and denounces the commodification of water subject to market rules, as it violates the universal human right:

“Even as the quality of available water is constantly diminishing, in some places there is a growing tendency, despite its scarcity, to privatize this limited resource, making it a commodity subject to market laws. In reality, access to safe drinkable water is a primary, fundamental and universal human right, because it determines people’s survival, and therefore is a condition for the exercise of other human rights. This world has a grave social debt toward the poor who lack access to safe water, since to deny water is to deny the right to life rooted in their inalienable dignity. This debt can be partially paid by greater financial investment to provide clean water and sanitation to the poorest peoples. Yet there is widespread water waste, not only in developed countries but also in less developed nations with large reserves. This shows that the water problem is partly an educational and cultural issue, due to a lack of awareness of how serious these behaviours are in the face of profound inequality” (n. 30).

These words of Pope Francis are prophetic, given that the growing scarcity of drinking water may lead to increased costs, restricting this universal good to those who can afford it. He foresees, in paragraph 31, that its hoarding may become one of the principal conflicts of our time. It is the responsibility of the entire human community — particularly those in executive power — to ensure the proper use of this resource for the benefit of all.

See, El agua: de un derecho universal a un producto mercantil