The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) joins the global community in commemorating World Water Day (WWD) under the theme “water and gender” and the tagline,   “where water flows, equality grows”. WWD is an important day meant to shine the spotlight on the centrality of water in the existence of human beings. WWD becomes crucial in sustaining conversations and actions regarding water in the context of a global era characterised by water bankruptcy, where natural water sources have been depleted beyond realistic recovery.

It therefore becomes important that water – a precious but scarce resource – is equitably managed, particularly in a country such as South Africa which is classified as a water scarce country.In South Africa, positive steps have been taken by the democratic government to promote access to sufficient water. For instance, the General Household Survey of 2024 indicates that the percentage of households with access to piped or tap water in their dwellings, off-site or on-site at a national level stood at 87,7% in 2024 compared to 84,4% in 2002. Despite these significant gains, water challenges persist and have reached crisis proportions.

Further, disparities and inequalities in water access persist in the country. The SAHRC has observed that insufficient access to water has a differentiated impact on women and girls, disproportionately affecting them. In a predominantly patriarchal society, women and girls have become the “bearers of water”, saddled with the task of fetching water, often in precarious conditions exposing them to health hazards and risks of violence. The SAHRC has also observed that educational outcomes are affected due to some schools lacking access to clean water. This compromises the health and dignity of learners, particularly of girls. Adolescent girl learners who are menstruating are forced to miss school every month due to the absence of water and safe sanitation facilities at some schools.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) includes SDG 5, which calls upon states to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Furthermore, SDG 6 calls upon states to achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030. Yet, South Africa is failing regarding the attainment of SDG 6 and associated targets. As South Africa joins the world in observing WWD, amidst the context of a water crisis in the country, the SAHRC calls upon government to pay special attention to the needs of women and girls in water provision. Women’s voices, leadership and agency should be fully entrenched and recognised in every water related process. The SAHRC will continue to monitor the efforts taken by government in water provision to ensure that they are inclusive and founded on principles of equality and dignity. Water is a fundamental human right which is central to the attainment of equality.