On July 17, 2012, I attended the AAAS Science and Human Rights Coalition Meeting and took part in a panel discussion with Salman M.A. Salman (former Lead Counsel, Legal Vice Presidency, World Bank) and Eric Tars (Director of Human Rights and Children’s Rights, National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty) on the human right to water and sanitation. The panel was moderated by Benjamin Mason Meier (Assistant Professor of Global Health Policy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill).
In my presentation, I raised the question of whether focusing on the human right to “drinking water” could limit development opportunities for some peri-urban/rural communities. My remarks were positioned within the context of multiple-use water services, whereby water supply systems are designed to support both domestic and productive uses of water.
If you have an interest in the subject of the human right to water and sanitation, I encourage you to listen to a recent webinar on the “Implementation of the Human Right to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation,” held on June 5, 2012.
Ralph P Hall 