The Right of Thirst: Water as a Human Right and as a Commons

Abstract

Water is not only a vital natural resource but is also a social symbol that makes it a ‘total social fact’. ‘Hydroschizophrenia’ is a term that characterizes the present condition of the status of water and reflects a disconnection between water and society. Liberal environmentalism considers the environment as an economic good. The privatization of water invokes a wide range of reactions, social movements and protests. The primary concepts that underlie the movement against the privatization are the human right to water and water as a commons. These concepts are traced to the idea of the ancient ‘right of thirst’.