Letter--Water rights

Water rights
Manir Hossain, President, Society for Environment and Nature Study (SENS), Mawlana Bhashani ScienceLife and livelihoods rely on water. Lack of clean water impoverishes people and hinders opportunities while better access to water can be an important tool for alleviating poverty. Quality of life is affected not only by physical access to water, but also by the degree of influence people have on decisions about water allocation. Right to water is crucial and contested across the globe. Urbanization, industrialization, environmental degradation, agricultural intensification, rising per capita water use, increasing population, and other social, political, and economic transformations contribute to growing scarcity and demand for better management of water resources. Access to water is essential for improving the lives of poor people. In many parts of the world, growing competition for scarce supplies of freshwater threatens livelihoods and hopes for the future. Inadequate institutions for water governance contribute to social inequity, economic inefficiency, and environmental degradation.