Water as a human right
Access to safe, affordable and reliable drinking water is a basic human right. It is an essential guarantee to secure an adequate standard of living for all, as recognised by the United Nations. However, not all countries consider water as a public good.
In some contexts, water privatization can become a solution to budget problems and aging water systems. But this often backfires, leading to rising prices or inadequate service provision, among others. Being a scarce good, water can also become a subject of financial speculation, and to the ups and downs in availability and costs arising from the climate crisis and increased demand.