Integrating human rights into water governance

Frequent talk of a 'water crisis' has prompted the water resources sector to move its focus away from improving the physical infrastructure in developing countries and towards the strengthening of water governance, in the belief that the 'crisis' is one of governance rather than simply the physical scarcity of water. Although this is still the case with regard to domestic water supply, water scarcity is now also a matter of concern in many developing countries in terms of food production. This paper argues that many water governance reforms have focused on the process of governance itself, without adequate definition of the end goal of the reforms or the responsibilities that governments have towards their people when facing water scarcity. The paper discusses how human rights concepts can be used to define clear end goals for water governance reforms and presents a framework using positive aspects from both water governance and human rights. After discussing the application of the framework to a case study, the paper concludes that such a framework can assist governments in planning, implementing and monitoring the measures necessary to address the critical issues that affect their communities' access to water for essential uses.