“A drop of water is powerful and more necessary than ever”. Some 700 million people in the world still do not have access to drinking water, says the United Nations (UN).
In this way the ‘Constitutional Reform to Recognize and Guarantee the Human Right of Access to Water‘ advanced to 2nd debate (File 21.382). The reform would add the following paragraph to Article 50 of the Constitution:
“Every person has the human, basic, and inalienable right of access to drinking water, as an essential asset for life. Water is a good of the Nation, essential to protect such a human right. Its use, protection, sustainability, conservation, and exploitation will be governed by what is established by the law that will be created for these purposes, and the supply of drinking water for the consumption of people and populations will take priority”.
Before voting in the Legislative Plenary, the process of the reform will continue with a mandatory consultation of the Constitutional Chamber and, if the resolution is favorable, it passes to the 2nd debate. The last step will be the inclusion of the constitutional reform in the presidential message of May 2nd, 2020 and will have to be submitted to the 3 requisite debates of the 2nd legislature.
The author of the initiative, José María Villalta, considered that “the Legislative Assembly took a fundamental step to strengthen the protection of Costa Rica’s most valuable resource, water”.
And he thanked all the fractions for their work and commitment to the project “which is the result of a struggle of more than 18 years”.
