Uruguay: Water for human consumption must be above its industrial uses

60% of the population of Uruguay faces a problem with drinking water, whose quality has decreased reaching alarming levels of salinity in its composition. Children and adolescents, pregnant women and people with chronic diseases, as well as other vulnerable groups, are the most affected.

The Uruguayan health authorities have recognized the risk and They have asked the population to buy bottled water to drink.

de facto privatization

A group of UN experts on human rights* warned this Thursday in a statement that this measure “creates a risk of de facto privatization of water for human consumptionforcing the population to buy water”, and urged the government to give priority to the use of water for human consumption.

The government has recommended reducing water consumption in homes, but has not applied the same restrictions to large-scale consumers, including industries that use water for production.

The special rapporteurs recalled that although the high levels of salt are attributed to the failure of water infrastructure aggravated by abnormally long periods without rain, the underlying problem is the overexploitation of water, especially by some industries in the country.

“Uruguay must prioritize human consumptionas indicated by international human rights standards,” they stressed.

They also alluded to the warnings they have made over the years that the expansion of the concessions to water-intensive industries were polluting that liquid and causing its shortage in the country.

Human consumption is minimal

“Water for human consumption represents only the 5% of the total drinking water supply. Therefore, not prioritizing its use is unacceptable.“, the experts emphasized.

They stressed that the human right to water implies that it be physically accessible, free of contaminants and is managed sustainably, respecting human dignity, equality and non-discrimination.

In this sense, they expressed special concern about the situation of the people who cannot afford to buy water and those with disabilities or reduced mobility who cannot carry water.

corporate liability

For specialists in fundamental guarantees, companies, including state companies, “have the responsibility of respect human rights at all times.”

For their part, States “have the obligation to guarantee the protection of this right to ensure universal access to safe drinking watereven during emergencies,” they added.

The special rapporteurs noted that the Uruguayan government has worked to reduce water taxes. However, they pointed out that the most important thing at this time is to guarantee that all people can access the water necessary for life.

Experts have contacted the Uruguayan government to raise these issues.

The signatories of the statement are: Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitationeither; Damilola Olawuyi (Chairman), Robert McCorquodale (Vice-Chairman), Fernanda Hopenhaym, Elżbieta Karska and Pichamon Yeophantong, Working Group on Business and Human Rights

* The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN human rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent investigative and monitoring mechanisms that address specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis, are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent of any government or organization and act in their individual capacity.