The right to water and its relevance to sustainable water governance

Over the past decade, the focus of water sector improvements in developing countries has moved away from enhancing physical infrastructure towards strengthening water sector governance. However, good water governance is a mechanism for improvement, not an end in itself, and the ultimate goal of governance reforms is still rarely defined clearly. One notable exception is the water reform process in South Africa; the right of access to water services is enshrined in South Africa's constitution and defined in subsequent legislation. Unfortunately, the implementation of reforms has been less straightforward and has recently brought water service providers into conflict with consumers who consider their right to water is being violated. This paper demonstrates the utility of the United Nations (UN) general comment No. 15 on the ‘right to water’ in assisting those responsible for the planning and implementation of sustainable water sector governance reforms. The key aspects of the right to water are explained and a number of myths refuted. The paper discusses some of the problems encountered by water services institutions in South Africa and how these could have been avoided had more attention been given to the principles embodied in the UN general comment.