Abstract

Water is essential for social and physical health and is a key factor in promoting development. A vast majority of people in the lesser-developed world, especially those who live in urban areas, lack any established right to water within domestic legal regimes. The international community has begun to recognize the significance of water, acknowledging that it is a human right necessary to sustain life. This article focuses on Manila, Philippines—the site of many recent changes in water policy—to demonstrate the precarious legal position of urban water users, who have no secure water rights and face declining quality and increased costs due to privatization. Domestic implementation of the human right to water could alleviate this problem by recognizing an individual justiciable right of water users, thus protecting accessibility, affordability, and quality.

pdf

Share