For many communities, access to
summarized, “a human rights approach is a
drinking water is very difficult on a
powerful tool for eliminating inequalities in
daily basis by factors such as water
access and achieving universal access to safe
diversion, land expropriation, unlawful
water and sanitation in the new development
pollution and/or the harmful effects of
agenda.”
extractive industries. At the same time
(Source UN Water)
in many parts of the world, women and
5. Godavari Water for Hyderabad
children are forced to walk long
City
distances for water collection and waste
disposal and face violence and immense
From
December
2015
hundreds
of
hardship.
households in the city will begin receiving
drinking water from Godavari River.
UN-Water Chair, Michel Jarraud, said, “the
Residents of large part of Hyderabad
linkages between human rights and access to
including Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills and
water and sanitation are deeply interwoven.
Prashasan Nagar etc. will start getting water
And because water, as a fundamental
under this ambitious project.
resource,
of
The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply
sustainable development, recognizing this
and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) is
connection is not only critical to achieving
making all efforts to provide a partial supply
SDG 6 [the Goal on water and sanitation]
of nearly 85 million gallons of water per day
but the broader 2030 Agenda.”
(MGD) through the Godavari drinking water
cuts
According
across
to
all
Zeid
Hussein, United
aspects
Ra’ad
Nations
Al
High
supply project phase-I by the end of
December, 2015.
Commissioner for Human Rights, so long as
The total length of the pipelines is 186 km
water and sanitation are not acknowledged
(between Yellampally Godavari barrage in
as
Karimnagar district and Shamirpet of Ranga
human
rights,
“there will
be
no
accountability for the deprivation and denial
Reddy).
suffered by millions, and no meaningful
Though the Godavari drinking water project
progress in international efforts to expand
phase-I was aimed to supply 182 MGD of
safe access.” In this regard, as Léo Heller,
water, with water levels dipping drastically
Special Rapporteur on the human right to
in Singur and Manjira reservoirs, officials
safe
have decided to provide partial water supply
drinking
water
and
sanitation,
5
Integrated River Basin Management Society