Asanga Gunawansa, National University of Singapore, School of Design and Environment, bdgasan@nus.edu.sg
Abstract
Access to water is now officially recognised as a basic human right. Right to water should ideally include a variety of dimensions such as access to water, affordability, ownership, delivery, and participation in decision-making processes. Unfortunately, this right is often misunderstood in developing countries. The public demand for free or heavily subsidised water hampers the ability to develop efficient water infrastructure facilities, which often requires engaging the private sector and introduction of market mechanisms. This paper is based on an ongoing research project which aims to conduct detail studies of different water governance architectures in the world and water infrastructure projects that have failed due to public protests and opposition in various countries, presents some preliminary findings and offers a brief discussion on the challenges faced by developing countries in treating water as an economic good.
Key words: water scarcity; human rights; developing countries