Water is a human right
AS WE enter Human Rights Month, March, we would like to remind South Africans that water is an essential human right for life, for health and for empowerment.
Water is key for socio-economic development. Water as a human right is enshrined in our constitution as a right to access to water of good quality and sufficient quantities to meet individual needs.
The recognition of water as a human right means people are defined as rights-holders and government as duty-bearers of water service provision. Therefore the provision of water is not a matter of charity but a legal and constitutional obligation.
The human right to water entitles everyone without discrimination to availability of safe (quality), acceptable, accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic use (which includes drinking, personal sanitation, washing of clothes, food preparation, personal and household hygiene).
This means that water must be available for each household in sufficient quantity and in a sustainable manner, for personal and domestic use.
This is not only about quantity, but the water must be of such quality as to ensure that it is safe for human consumption and for personal and domestic hygiene.
While we have a legal right to water, we also have responsibilities to ensure we safeguard this precious resource.
As part of this water month, the Western Cape will host a number of activities to educate water users about water savings.
The activities will include visits to car washes, exhibitions, door-to-door visits to households, outreach to interfaith groups and drop the block activations.
South Africa is also privileged to host the UN to celebrate World Water Day, which will be held in Durban on March 22. MALUSI RAYI Deputy director communications Western Cape Department of Water and Sanitation