Today, Redes del Agua holds a meeting with legislators and in presence of Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to Water and Sanitation @SRWatSan to discuss the importance of constitutional recognition of community water management. Redes del Agua @redesdelagua is an alliance of Latin American civil society networks and organisations working to influence water, sanitation and hygiene policies and practices. Redes del Agua is organizing this conference in the context of the change of government and the water crisis in Mexico with its serious impact on the health of the population and the environment (less than 50& of the population has access to a continuous supply of water).
Latin America has a long tradition and a big experience in community water management. Constitutional recognition of water management is a step towards ensuring that common goods are distributed fairly and equitably. In order not to reach a ‘zero day’ for water: Strategic guidelines for good water management in Mexico are needed. We need collection and infrastructure solutions based on community management of nature as a public policy axis.
@SRWatSan Pedro Arrojo-Agudo:
Free, safe, public drinking water is a priority. There can be no economic scarcity to guarantee human rights!
Children still have to carry water, a reality that undermines their full development. Ensuring water and sanitation is taking care of the health of children in the country.
A General Water Law is urgently needed as a general framework to ensure that socio-environmental justice is persued in acordance with the principles of Human Rights, equity in access to water and its sustainable use.
