In Europe 1 million people do not have access to water and sanitation
World Water Day was celebrated last Friday March 22. In 2010 the United Nations declared water and sanitation a human right, essential for the full enjoyment of a dignified life.
Worldwide 780 million people do not have access to water and 2 billion to sanitation. Also in Europe 1 million do not have access to water and 800.000 to sanitation (you can watch the video made by the European Federation of Public Service Unions – EPSU).
Water is a public service and a common good that can’t be left to the market. Liberalisation in the supply of water services will only increase the gap between rich and poor. For this reason last year EPSU launched a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) to ask the European Union to guarantee these human rights through the promotion of water supply and sanitation as essential public services for all. Social Platform supports this campaign.
On the occasion of World Water Day, over 1,3 million signatures have been reached to support the ECI. Five countries have already passed the minimum threshold required by the ECI regulations (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Slovakia and Slovenia). Several other countries are close to the minimum, including Finland, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Cyprus, Greece. We can be confident that the initiative will be a success with continued mobilisation in countries like Italy, Spain and many others (source: right2water.eu).
To understand how access to water is essential to fight against poverty, you can read the quote from the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and extreme poverty, Magdalena Sepúlveda: “Persons living in poverty are disproportionately affected by limited access to water and are often forced to inhabit areas in which access to water is restricted owing to cost, lack of infrastructure, denial of services to persons without secure tenure, poor resource management, contamination or climate change. Access to clean water is key to reducing many aspects of poverty and States must take measures to ensure that persons living in poverty are not charged higher rates for water services owing to consumption levels.” You can read the full article on Euractiv.
