the human right to water and sanitation in emergency situations

INTRODUCTION
Introduction
1. What constitutes an “emergency”?
Each year more than 30 million people flee their homes as a result of conflict and natural disasters; and
more than 200 million people are affected by natural hazards 1 . In the current global situation, characterized
by conditions of inequity and extreme poverty, environmental degradation and climate change have
brought about an increase in the occurrence of natural disasters such as landslides, heavy rainfall, hurricanes,
drought, fires, and earthquakes 2 . As amply demonstrated by recent events, they can affect anyone
anywhere. Furthermore, emergency situations are becoming more and more frequent, recurrent, diverse
and difficult to define: natural hazards and armed conflict are no longer the only situations that have to be
dealt with. Indeed, since the end of the Cold War, some “new conflicts” have appeared on the horizon,
such as anarchic or identity-related conflicts. In addition, natural disasters are often overplayed by conflict,
or may be combined with protracted livelihood insecurity.
These elements all contribute to defining what constitutes an “emergency”, in the widest sense of the
term, with which humanitarian agencies have to cope: “where and when a disaster provokes an immediate,
exceptional and widespread threat to life, health or basic subsistence, which requires an
international response that goes beyond the mandate or capacity of any single agency and/or the ongoing
UN country programme 3 «
2. The challenge posed by water and sanitation in emergency situations
In an emergency, inadequate water supplies and poor sanitation put lives at risk, and water – the supreme
life-sustaining element – can become a source of major concerns. Human excreta are noxious and can become
one of the foremost causes of disease if not safely disposed of, out of human contact and away from
water sources. Consequently, water and sanitation are critical determinants for survival immediately after and
during the initial stages of a disaster. People affected by disasters are generally much more susceptible to illness
and death from diseases related to inadequate sanitation, insufficient water supplies and poor hygiene.
Moreover, availability of sufficient clean water in the immediate aftermath of a disaster is crucial in order to
take care of the sick, provide for human consumption and maintain basic hygiene, support search and rescue
efforts, and ensure that productive and commercial activities get back to normal. In addition, the lack of
water and water facilities often adversely affects the dignity of those caught up in emergencies.
1 / UNDP Human Development Report 2007/2008, Fighting Climate Change: Human Solidarity in a Divided World.
2 / The latest World Disaster Report indicates that disasters (excluding wars, conflict-related famine, disease or epidemic)
have increased constantly in Asia, Africa, Europe and Oceania since 1997, even if Asia remained the most frequently hit
continent in 2006, accounting for 42 per cent of the year’s disasters. The last decade saw a number of major disasters that
caused a huge number of deaths: the Indian Ocean tsunami, 2004 (226,408 deaths); a heat wave in Europe, 2003 (more
than 70,000 deaths); floods in Venezuela, 1999 (30,000 deaths); three earthquakes: one in Iran, 2003 (Bam: 26,796 deaths),
one in India, 2001 (Gujarat: 20,005 deaths), one in Turkey, 1999 (Izmir: 17,127 deaths); and a hurricane in Central America,
1998 (Mitch: 18,791 deaths).
3 / Definition endorsed at the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Principals Meeting, December 1994.
© ACF - THE HUMAN RIGHT TO WATER AND SANITATION IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS
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