Direito humano à água no cenário da pandemia de covid-19 na realidade brasileira

Abstract

It addresses the importance of the human right to water in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. It discusses the recognition of water as a human right at the international level, describing its historical evolution and highlighting the Stockholm Conference of 1972, the Rio 92 Conference, General Comment nº 15 of 2002, Resolution A/RES/64/292 of 2010 among others documents. It presents the historical evolution of water protection in Brazil, discussing the Federal Constitution of 1988, the National Water Resources Policy, instituted by Law nº 9.433/97, among others instruments and pointing out international documents to which it is a signatory. It highlights the need to formally posit the right to water in the Constitution. It discusses the current situation on the national scene resulting from the Covid- 19 pandemic with regard to the lack of access to water by the most vulnerable population. It analyzes the difficulties encountered by the millions of Brazilians living in the favela, living on the streets and indigenous people, as a result of government neglect and social inequality, discussing the urgency of actions by States and municipalities in order to make the right to water effective in the current scenario. The methodology has a bibliographic and documentary character. Consultations were carried out on specialized books, academic productions and journalistic articles. Consultations were also carried out on the Constitution and the legislation governing the subject, in addition to studies on UN reports. The effectiveness of the human right to drinking water amd basic sanitation is a challenge and needs progress. The articulation between the spheres of government (Union, States and Municipalities) is essential to guarantee the elaboration of public health policies that alleviate the situation of vulnerabitlity of those who do not have adequate access to drinking water and basic sanitation.