Lack of Access to Water and the Breach of the Basic Human Right

Access to Water and the International Law

On 28 July 2010 122 countries formally acknowledged the "right to water" in a General Assembly (GA) resolution (A/64/292, based on draft resolution A/64/L.63/Rev.1). On September 24, 2010, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a binding resolution recognizing that the human right to water and sanitation are a part of the right to an adequate standard of living.

That resolution, in part:
"Affirms that the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation is derived from the right to an adequate standard of living and inextricably related to the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, as well as the right to life and human dignity"

The human right to water places certain responsibilities upon governments to ensure that people can enjoy "sufficient, safe, accessible and affordable water, without discrimination" (cf. GC 15, below).

Governments are expected to take reasonable steps to ensure there are no water access distinctions amongst citizens.

"It is now time to consider access to safe drinking water and sanitation as a human right, defined as the right to equal and non-discriminatory access to a sufficient amount of safe drinking water for personal and domestic uses—drinking, personal sanitation, washing of clothes, food preparation and personal and household hygiene—to sustain life and health. States should prioritize these personal and domestic uses over other water uses and should take steps to ensure that this sufficient amount is of good quality, affordable for all and can be collected within a reasonable distance from a person's home." - RightToWater.info

"Sufficient: The water supply for each person must be sufficient and continuous for personal and domestic uses. These uses ordinarily include drinking, personal sanitation, washing of clothes, food preparation, personal and household hygiene." - United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Water Restrictions for a disabled Westminster Council tenant! 

A Westminster Council flat tenant has only part time access to water, because the disabled tenant has no financial means to install a solution and because the disabled person is well...disabled!

The tenant who spent over a decade living at this CityWest Homes / Westminster Council Property started to experience severe water shortage issues in year 2012. However, CityWest Homes are not keen on fixing the problem. The tenant is disabled and has no financial means to fix the problem.

The tenant encounters these water restrictions on daily basis at this Westminster Council flat:
- Tenants have part time access to shower due to low water supply / unable to maintain personal hygiene.
- Tenants have part time access to bathtub due to low water supply / unable to maintain personal hygiene.
- The disabled tenant has a part time access to water for a sponge wash / unable to maintain personal hygiene.
- The disabled tenant's carer unable to help the disabled tenant wash due to water shortage.
- Tenants have to sit naked for long periods of time waiting for water to re-appear while with soap on. Sometimes water does not come back within reasonable time and tenants have to towel dry while with soap/shampoo on and continue waiting for water.
- Heavily fluctuating water pressure results in fluctuating water temperatures (water is heated up by a boiler), often producing burning water temperatures and causing injury.
- Heavily fluctuating water pressure often results in boiler switching off, and the tenant having to continue washing in extremely cold water temperatures.
- Tenants unable to wash dishes and maintain kitchen hygiene due to the lack of water supply to the Westminster Council flat.
- Tenants unable to wash clothes by hand or run the washing machine due to the lack of water supply to the Westminster Council flat.
- Tenants unable to flush and maintain an acceptable toilet hygiene due to the lack of water supply to the Westminster Council flat.
- Tenants restricted from social appointments, including employment, due to the lack of access to personal hygiene.
- Tenants exposed to low self esteem and hardship due to the lack of full time water supply at this Westminster Council Flat.
- Tenants experience mental and physical injuries caused by heavily limited access to water.
- After longer periods without water, water bursts through the tap with air and can be yellowish in colour.
- Tenants have to maintain stock of water in containers for emergencies.
- The lack of access to water is having a much greater negative impact on the disabled tenant's day-to-day activities, than on the healthy tenant, thus putting the disabled person in a far greater disadvantage, relating to disability discrimination.

Random photos taken with hot and cold taps fully open:

Westminster Council Flat has no water on 02-07-2013 at 16:13pm 

Westminster Council Flat has no water on 05-06-2013 at 09:31am

Westminster Council Flat has no water on 02-07-2013 at 16:13pm

Westminster Council Flat has no water on 02-07-2013 at 16:13pm

Westminster Council Flat has no water on 04-06-2013 at 09:05am

Westminster Council Flat has no water on 05-06-2013 at 09:31pm

Westminster Council Flat has no water on 05-06-2013 at 09:31pm

Westminster Council Flat has no water on 15-06-2013 at 20:04pm

Westminster Council Flat has no water on 15-06-2013 at 20:08pm

Westminster Council Flat has no water on 16-06-2013 at 12:31pm

Westminster Council Flat has no water on 18-06-2013 at 13:40pm

Westminster Council Flat has no water on 25-06-2013 at 22:06pm

Westminster Council Flat has no water on 25-06-2013 at 22:06pm

Westminster Council Flat has no water on 28-06-2013 at 01:33am

Westminster Council Flat has no water on 28-06-2013 at 01:34am

For those who prefer video, here's a video!

"Access to safe water is a fundamental human need and therefore a basic human right." - Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary General

"We are unable to supply and fit a pump mechanism as this constitutes an improvement and not a repair..." - CityWest Homes

Comments left by the disabled tenant's carer who was unable to aid the tenant with a sponge wash due to the lack of water.

If any parts of this document can be improved, please leave a comment with your message and it will be looked at.

If you would like to make a donation to help the disabled tenant build access to full-time water, please leave a comment below and it will be looked at with pleasure.

If you have a story of your own it would be a pleasure to post it on this blog!