Why busy with the right to water instead of 'governance'?

Saturday, April 3, 2010 View Comments

Right to water skeptics normally pose this typical question: Why the right to water instead of governance?

Here's a short answer: you can't go to the court asking for good governance.

Illustration:

If you are disconnected from the services, you can't say to the judge:

"For the sake of good governance, please, reconnect me to the network."

compare with this statement:

"There is a human right to water in the constitution, I should, at least be permitted to pay in arrears, the disconnection is illegal."
 
Put it simply, the right to water creates rights and obligations. It can even create obligation for a good water governance. Remember, governance does not stand by itself. One of the indicator is the rule of law.

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1 comments »

  • Hugo said:  

    Nice post!! I love that positivist stance. But is it possible to turn around your argument and pretend that it does not do justice to the non-legal component of human rights - their value as moral imperatives and ethical ideals?

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