Despite the UN’s 2010 resolution on the human right to water,
debate continues over how useful a rights approach really is.
Even if we identify water as a human right, where the state is
the principal duty-bearer, will it improve access to water for
communities in need? Debates about the human right to water, and
the role of the state or private companies in ensuring access,
illustrate that water provision is anything but apolitical. The
Economist has released a Special Report on Water, dated May
22nd, 2010, written by John Grimond. The 18 page report contains
9 short but substantial articles giving an overview of global
water issues. Over the last year, the government has been
working on passing a new water bill, the Hydraulic Resources
Law, which would, as I understand it, allow the concessions to
stand, codify privatization of water rights and centralize
decision-making at the state level, possibly further excluding
traditional local water-management structures from the process.
In the last weeks an estima