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Zimbabwe and the right to water
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
October 27, 2009

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The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (hereinafter referred to as the Coalition) is advocating for the inclusion of economic social and cultural rights as justiciable rights in the proposed constitution.

It has thus taken this initiative to comment on a number of rights such as the right to work, food, health, water and so on to give input into such discussions and to show the importance of why such rights need to be guaranteed and protected in the constitution. As it stands it is not easy to have these rights operationalised in Zimbabwe as they are not contained in the current constitution.

The President recently in his address to the opening of the Second Session of the 7th Parliament of Zimbabwe referred to the problem of water. It is unfortunate to note that the President failed to touch and zero in on the most critical areas around the provision of water and its link to the right to life, health, food and other rights protected in the International Bill of Rights.

This paper and others to follow seek to give direction and input to discussions around the inclusion of economic, social and cultural rights in the new constitution. Furthermore, these discussions should be able to add value to the smooth running in the provision of such services and rights to Zimbabweans, as it gives the minimum demands on what obligations the State has and what people are entitled to.

NB: This contribution does not purport to discuss fully the right to water in as far as it pertains to other areas and services such as irrigation, farming and other uses of water. It only tries to discuss areas around sanitation, safe drinking water, personal hygiene and the provision of water in urban and rural areas.

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