Gorbachev call for global law on water access

By Fiona Harvey

Published: June 12 2007 03:00 | Last updated: June 12 2007 03:00

Access to clean water should be enshrined in international law as a human right, says Mikhail Gorbachev, the former president of the Soviet Union.


Mr Gorbachev, who is chairman of the charity Green Cross International, which campaigns on water problems, is pressing the UN to adopt a convention on fresh water similar to that covering human rights.

About 1bn people lack access to clean water and 2bn lack access to sanitation, with the problem being aggravated by the demands of increasing populations and economic growth. Climate change has also shifted rainfall patterns and caused supplies of fresh water to dwindle.

Mr Gorbachev says that the problem is urgent. "Before, people thought water was available and would always be available, and the problem was not that severe. Now it is necessary to adopt a convention that would declare the right of access to good quality drinking water as a human right."
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