...ACCESS TO CLEAN AND POTABLE WATER AS A HUMAN RIGHT Water is indeed one of our basic needs to survive. I, personally cannot end a day without drinking water. Of course, when we talk about drinking water, it should be clean, safe and abundantly available. I firmly agree to the title given to this article that the access to clean and portable water is a human right. We are all candidate for that matter. As a teacher of Environmental Science subject, one of my favorite lessons under it is the water cycle. Yes, because I could easily attached different scenarios in our real life connecting on that topic. Students easily catch the lesson for they are able to relate it with them as part of their everyday living. Further understanding the topic, I emphasize the word cycle as a continuous process, it never stops, and so does the water. The water, our ancestors have been drinking long long time ago is the same water we are drinking right now. It had undergone the process of water cycle many times. But the big question is that, how come in our present generation, we are experiencing shortages, insufficiencies when it comes to water supply? Here comes the problem on climate change, specifically the El Niño phenomenon. This current environmental issue greatly affects the insufficiency of water we are facing right now. The water cycle is disrupted by the intense high temperature in our environment, leading the dam operators and utility firms to forcefully stop supplying water for irrigation...
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...Department Water Crisis of Pakistan Submitted to: Mr. Rauf Akhtar Submitted By: Muhammad Rzi Abbas (2006-MCT-38) 5/23/2008 1 LETTER OF AUTHORIZATION I authorize Mr. Muhammad Rzi Abbas to research on “Water Crisis of Pakistan”. Mr. Rauf Akhtar 2 LETTER OF TRANSMITTEL Pakistan is being surrounded by almost all types of problems and difficulties nowadays. Everyone is speaking on different issues Pakistan is facing but I chose the Water Crisis which is a grave threat to Pakistan yet hidden from the eyes of most of the residents of Pakistan. To study this hanging sword I chose to write a report on the topic “Water Crisis of Pakistan”. In this report I have explained the past, present and future problems which Pakistan unfortunately had to face regarding water resources and utilization. Let me assure you that the reader will study this report with interest and will get a complete knowledge about the water sector problems which Pakistan is either facing right now or will have to face in the future. Muhammad Rzi Abbas 3 Table of Contents Letter of Authorization………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………2 Letter of Transmittal…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……3 Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…..4 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..….6 Summary…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..8 First Portion Chapter 1 Overview of Worldwide Water Crisis…………………………………………………………………………...
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...How Unsanitary Water is a Global Problem In resolution 64/292, the United Nations General Assembly (2010) stated that “safe and clean drinking water … [was] a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights” (p.2). This right, however, is not accessible to everyone in the world. So, this paper will look at why unsanitary drinking water is a global problem, examining the problem through the lens of the conflict theory, and some possible solutions. Problems First, this paper will look at factors as to why unsanitary water is a global problem. According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, more than 780 million people still do not have access to safe drinking water in the world (Ramirez-Djumena, 2012, p. 33). While this number technically meets the United Nations Millennium Development Goal Target 7c to “reduce by half, between 1990 and 2015, ‘the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking-water and basic sanitation,’” there is still more than 40 percent of all inhabitants of sub-Saharan Africa who lack access to safe-drinking water and only 19 out of the 50 countries in that area are on track to meet Target 7c (Bain, 2012, p.228; Ramirez-Djumena, 2012, p.32). Without access to clean drinking water, the inhabitants in these areas are more susceptible to water-born diseases. The World Health Organization reported that due a lack of access to clean water, “1.6 million people die every...
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...Human Rights and the Millennium Development Goals in Practice: A review of country strategies and reporting UNITED NATIONS Human Rights and the Millennium Development Goals in Practice: A review of country strategies and reporting UNITED NATIONS New York and Geneva, 2010 Note The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Symbols of United Nations documents are composed of capital letters combined with figures. Mention of such a symbol indicates a reference to a United Nations document. HR/PUB/10/1 © 2010 United Nations All worldwide rights reserved Credits Photographs: Goal 1: photo by Adam Rogers/UNCDF; Goal 2: © International Labour Organization/ G. Cabrera; Goal 3: photo by Adam Rogers/UNCDF; Goal 4: © UNICEF Armenia/2007/Igor Dashevskiy; Goal 5: © International Labour Organization/E. Gianotti; Goal 6: © World Lung Foundation/ Thierry Falise; Goal 7: © International Labour Organization/M. Crozet; Goal 8: © International Labour Organization/M. Crozet. About the publication This publication builds on a series of country and thematic background studies commissioned for the regional “Dialogues for Action: Human Rights and MDGs”, which took place in...
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...definitions. The highlighting points that will be thoroughly discussed in chronological order are human rights, health issues, vulnerability, and agricultural sector. The premise this paper will illustrate is that natural disasters do not affect both genders equally and that there is a lack of attention to gender issues in developing countries. Depending on the exposure of the climate change, inequalities for resilience in access to resources and opportunities may vary and will most likely render the disadvantaged more vulnerable to the disaster. As stated in ‘The Missing Component of the Response to Climate Change’ article “most societies, particularly in developing countries, women have lower incomes and fewer opportunities than men. Thus their adaptive and mitigative capacity is lower than those of males. Climate policies are thus not automatically gender neutral.” (Lambrou, Piana, 2007, p.2) By understanding how climate change affects men and women through their role, social expectations, status and power will develop proper actions taken to reduce vulnerability and increase resiliency after a natural disaster. Human Rights The U.N. Human Rights Council study has shown and proven that climate change is negatively impacting the enjoyment of specific human rights in varying countries around the world. These human rights that are being impacted include the right to life, food, water, health, housing, and self-determination. Also, take into account that country strategies may...
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...Everyone, Everywhere 2030 WaterAid’s Global Strategy 2015-2020 We are WaterAid Our vision is a world where everyone, everywhere has safe water, sanitation and hygiene. Our mission is to transform the lives of the poorest and most marginalised people by improving access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene. Our values define our culture and unite us across the many countries in which we work. They are at the very heart of WaterAid – who we are, what we do and how we do it. Respect Collaboration We treat everyone with dignity and respect and champion the rights and contribution of all to achieve a fairer world. We work with others to maximise our impact, respecting diversity and difference in the pursuit of common goals. Accountability Innovation We are accountable to those whose lives we hope to see transformed, to those we work with and to those who support us. We are creative and agile, always learning, and prepared to take risks to accelerate change. Courage Integrity We are bold and inspiring in our actions and words, and uncompromising in our determination to pursue our mission. We act with honesty and conviction and our actions are consistent with openness, equality and human rights. Front cover image: Janett, four, fills up a jerrycan with clean, safe water at the village’s new pump in Bugesera district, Rwanda. WaterAid/Zute Lightfoot Back cover image: Four-year-old Andreana (centre) and her friends...
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...Overview Combined water and sewer rates in Portland, Oregon are among the highest in the United States. A 2007 survey by Black & Veatch put Portland No. 1 on the list of 50 largest cities water and wastewater survey and No. 6 in 2010.[1] A proposed five year rate increases which started in July, 2011 by the Portland Water Bureau is likely to push Portland's water bills significantly above the average for the 50 largest U.S cities. Portland's combined water and sewer bill would likely total $346 by the year 2015.[2] Quarterly bills for typical residential customers have risen from $74 to $84 in July 2011 following a 13% increase by the Portland Water Bureau.[3] These spiking increases are as a result of a Federal regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency effective 2014 which requires drinking water sources to be guarded against the chlorine-resistant parasite, cryptosporidium which Public Water Bureau of Portland believe to be non-existent in the pristine waters of the Bull Run. About 25 percent of the water rate increases is tied to the Environmental Protection Agency's mandates that Portland deal with cryptosporidium which the City of Portland initially contested but lost. The argument of Portland city authorities is that the city’s water which is drawn from the pristine Bull Run watershed which is pure and clean and does not need any expensive treatment to eliminate any pathogens which evidently is not present in the water.[4] The EPA is however not taking any...
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...| A Drink of Water | Christopher J. Barrett | | SCI-275 | 3/24/2013 | | Sanitation and drinking-water are universally accepted as being essential for human life, dignity and human development (World Health Organization, 2012). Water is required for life to exist; it is the most basic of sustaining building blocks. Global access to clean (sanitary) and sustainable water supplies continues to be a challenge in an age of ever-increasing population and development. Despite the ongoing challenge, the scarcity of global water resources has only begun to be addressed by the United Nations and other not-for-profit charitable organizations. One of the most important recent milestones has been the recognition in July 2010 by the United Nations General Assembly of the human right to water and sanitation. The Assembly recognized the right of every human being to have access to sufficient water for personal and domestic uses (between 50 and 100 liters of water per person per day), which must be safe, acceptable and affordable (water costs should not exceed 3 per cent of household income), and physically accessible (the water source has to be within 1,000 meters of the home and collection time should not exceed 30 minutes) (United Nations, 2013). UN system activities specially focus on the sustainable development of fragile and finite freshwater resources, which are under increasing stress from population growth, pollution and the demands of...
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...should authorities have in maintaining a clean and adequate water supply? Sid Stallings, Jr. Western Governors University What role should authorities have in maintaining a clean and adequate water supply? Water is essential for every living being on earth. It covers 70% of our planet, but only about 3% is fresh water. Of that 3%, 2/3 of it is frozen as glaciers, so only about 1% of the world’s water is actually usable for drinking, cleaning, and irrigating farmlands according to the World Wildlife Fund (Krchnak, 2014). Some populations, industries, and businesses are using up the limited supply of fresh water at an alarming rate for personal gain, leaving many without this vital resource. The water supply is deteriorating as it is becoming ever more polluted from chemical run off from farms and industry, poor water management practices, over use, and expanding populations. This is causing severe shortage problems, skyrocketing water prices, and major environmental issues around the world. Research suggests that over-use of the world’s available fresh water supplies is a major problem, because use is exceeding the ability of nature and water treatment plants to keep up with demand, rising costs have led to a lack of access to safe water for many poor people, and shortages of adequate fresh water cause there to be insufficient water to sustain communities around the world. Water usage and lack of adequate fresh water affects everyone, so should governmental or international...
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...informative tool in explaining the causes and consequences resulting from the dire crisis of water insecurity. My argument strives to show that water-borne infectious diseases can be prevented and controlled through proper management, supply, and provision of safe drinking water. I will acknowledge members of government and NGOs who have recognized the importance of alleviating water scarcity. However, I will illustrate why, despite that the action has been taken in various forms of projects, initiatives, and setting goals, many constraints against success remain in poverty ridden and socioeconomic insecure regions, such as Madagascar. Madagascar, a large island lying off the coast of southeastern Africa in...
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...a campaign issue and state the objectives you want from the campaign and how these address citizenship issues. As a class we chose the topic Water Aid for our campaign through a voting system where the whole class decided on which topic to campaign for. This issue is important because Water Aid is an organization which doesn’t only try to supply clean and safe water to over 748 million people who don’t have access to it (Statistics gained from: http://www.wateraid.org/uk/what-we-do/the-crisis/water) but it also helps people in over 27 countries build facilities/pumps where fresh – and most importantly clean – water can be accessed from a much shorter distance. Also Water Aid helps with sanitation, general hygiene and basic medical training so that people in lesser developed countries can gain the will and stability to provide for them and not rely on more developed countries for aid. Hopefully with help from Water Aid many more people will not die of easily treatable diseases such as diarrhoea and other water-related diseases. Access to clean water and safe sanitation is an issue globally because over 2.5 billion people around the world don’t have access to adequate sanitation, that’s one in three of the world’s population (statistic from http://www.wateraid.org/uk/what-we-do/the-crisis/statistics). This shows that the issue Water Aid faces is an important and global one because of how many countries actually suffer from not having these basic necessities. It can also be...
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...Water Issues 1. Introduction Clean and abundant water make available the basis for flourishing populations. We depend on clean water to survive, yet right now we are heading towards a water crisis. Water issues appear on the national news at least twice a week about contamination or droughts to some extent. Climate patterns that are related to a warming world are threatening lakes, rivers, and aquifers which we use for drinking water are being overdrawn, run dry, or tainted with pollution. It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure we protect this vital lifesaving resource and decrease the amount of water waste. The warning signs are out there of threatening water supplies. “Bottle water cost more than gas or milk?” (n.d., 2016). Undrinkable water is not just a local or national problem that possess the largest health risk, and continues to threaten everyone’s quality of life and public health risk in the United States. The more areas that are developed and the removal of the landscape keeps the natural process of percolation which keeps our water somewhat clean. The more areas that are urbanized the more water becomes tainted. When there is water runoff from the weather it picks up toxic chemicals, dirt, and disease-borne organisms as it makes its way through the percolation process along the way. Even though the Clean Water Act is supposed to protect our water, it still get polluted with some accountability. Many of our water assets lacks suitable protections, making...
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...The corporate social responsibility (CSR) program is as follows: Legal & Economic Responsibility: Approach to Business: Chevron strive to operate safely, protect their workers and deal ethically with our stockholders, partners and the public. The approach focuses on the 4 key areas: Ethics & Governance, Human Rights, Diversity and Workforce Health & Safety – Chevron will only operate where they can legally and profitably conduct their business while placing the highest priority on protecting people and the environment. In using this approach they are able to identify and manage risks they encounter while creating value for their investors, customers, partners, government of the country in which the operation is, local communities and workforce. Chevron takes seriously the conduct of its employees and requires questionable conduct to be reported. Chevron's Human Rights Policy fosters greater awareness of human rights issues throughout the company and enhances their capabilities to identify and manage human rights issues in four areas relevant to their business: employees, security providers, community engagement and suppliers. Diversity councils throughout the company strive to provide every employee with a full opportunity to contribute to the company goals. Chevron's efforts to create and maintain a safety culture include starting meetings with safety lessons, tracking and awarding business units for strong safety performance, sharing best practices and lessons learned...
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...MADHYA PRADESH HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION SUMMER INTERNSHIP -2012 TOPIC: HUMAN RIGHTS- RIGHT TO FOOD ACKNOWLEDGMENT I owe a great many thanks to a great many people who helped and supported me during the preparation of this project. My deepest thanks to the Deputy Secretary Mr. Kuldeep Jain, the guide of the project for guiding and correcting various documents of my research with due attention and care. He has taken to go through the project and make necessary changes as and when needed. I also thank other staff and members of MPHRC for extending their support whenever I was in need of it. My deep sense of gratitude to my institute, National Law Unversity, Odisha for providing me with the opportunity to work at such a brilliant institution in the field of Human Rights. Thanks and appreciation to my co-internees at MPHRC for their support. Introduction The right to food is a human right. It protects the right of all human beings to live in dignity, free from hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition. The right to food is not about charity, but about ensuring that all people have the capacity to feed themselves in dignity. The right to food is protected under international human rights and humanitarian law and the correlative state obligations are equally well-established under international law. The right to food is recognized in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), as well as a...
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...“The Digital Divide continues throughout the world as it has been noted that although 3.1 billion people have Internet access, there are still 4.2 billion people on this planet, or 58 percent of the world, that do not.” (Rampton, 2015). Their is this gap because of things such as taxes, policies, and operational issues in countries, in the end making the internet way too expensive for some people to afford it and making the Internet inaccessible to a lot of people in the world. Many people in underdeveloped countries do not have access to the Internet like most people do. But that do not mean their are people in developed countries with access, as not everyone is privileged and many financial barriers stand in the way. We sometimes even forget the some counties in the world put restrict on what they want their users to see. In places like China the citizens have access to the Internet by it is limited and filtered by the government. All humans have the right to access the Internet, but they also have the right to access an uncensored Internet, so that can they are able to form their own opinion. Over all not everyone has an equal opportunity and access to the online world, their is a divide between the haves and have nots so it is important we advocate for the disadvantaged groups without access to the Internet....
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