Currently, it is reported that more than two billion people are affected by water shortages in over 40 countries, with diseases associated with unsafe drinking water and lack of adequate sanitation among the leading causes of death in developing countries. Predictions forecast that by the year 2050, at least one in four people is likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of fresh water. This publication, written by recognised experts in this field, explores the genesis of the debate on the right to water and the links between development issues, water resources and human rights. It focuses on the importance of General Comment No. 15 (Issued by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 2002) which explicitly recognizes a human right to water; and concludes that an incipient right to water is emerging in international supported by several soft law instruments, evolving customary internation an increasing number of domestic law provisions.
