by Becky Robbins

Created on: November 02, 2009   Last Updated: November 03, 2009

Clean drinking water has yet to be completely recognized as a basic human right. While water plays a vital role in every aspect of life, some do not realize the gravity of the shrinking clean water sources. When unclean water is consumed, it can cause serious illnesses, sometimes leading to death.

According to statistics provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), about 1.1 billion of the world's 6 billion people do not have access to clean drinking water sources.

The United States is experiencing the decrease in water resources, but there are other countries where the lack of clean drinking water is far more evident. The WHO says that a child dies every 15 seconds from water related diseases. Each country has a different policy in regards to the access of clean drinking water as a basic human right.

Some countries have refused to recognize water as a basic human right. Canada, China, the United States, and several other countries are included in the list of those that do not recognize the human right to water. On the other hand, there are about 30 countries that have set up legal provisions or constitutional provisions to guarantee access to water for individuals.

The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights declared in November 2002, that having access to adequate amounts of clean water is in fact, a fundamental human right.

The United States does not recognize access to clean drinking water as a basic human right. The views of the United States were outlined for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in June 2007. Although it does not feel there is sufficient evidence to call it a human right, the United States does recognize that basic water needs are necessary for health, peace, security and economic development.

Within the United States, the federal government has increased its involvement in certain areas of water control. Water rights within the US are recognized even though they are not recognized by the government on an international level.

The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) was created to guarantee the quality of drinking water. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets the standards for the nation's drinking water in order to protect the health of Americans.

The United States does not limit its support for access to clean drinking water only to a domestic goal. Support from the United States reaches to an international level. In 2006, the United States designated over $200 million to water supply

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