NationStates

Water Rights Act (WRA)
Category: Health
Area of Effect: Healthcare

Proposed by Malairium

Section I: Preamble

RECOGNIZING that water is a resource essential for the existence of human life.

NOTING that current legislation does not adequately address this.

BELIEVING that every person has a right to live, and thus, a right to water, no matter their nationality.


Section II: Definitions

2a) For the purposes of this legislation, water is defined as liquids mostly containing the molecule dihydrogen monoxide, in potable conditions, or conditions such that it can be easily made potable.

2b) For the purposes of this legislation, potable is defined as safe to drink, such that doing so in moderation will cause no negative health consequences either immediately or in the future.

2c) For the purposes of this legislation, a person is defined as a human, water reliant AI, or any other sentient being that requires water to live or function.

2d) For the purposes of this legislation, the minimum volume of potable water required to sustain human life is estimated to be 2.5 litres per person per day, though the WATWR will be tasked with evaluating this value as the situation requires.



Section III: Requirements of Nations

Member nations will be required to:

3a) establish legislation, where current legislation does not already exist, that ensures each person the right to access the minimal amount of water required to survive.

3b) make efforts to provide public access to water where possible and reasonable. Each nation may determine the following for itself, provided all other provisions of this act are met:
i) Methods for production and distribution of water,
ii) Processes and chemicals used for purification of water,
iii) Usage of chemical additives for public health, and
iv) Water usage, conservation, and rationing regulations.

3c) establish legislation, where current legislation does not already exist, that limits or abolishes the direct ownership of water, such that this ownership threatens the right of others to live.

3d) in the case of a water crisis, as determined by the WATWR (detailed in Section IV, Subsection 4e), provide support as directed by the WATWR, for which they will be reasonably compensated with WA funds.

3e) establish legislation, where current legislation does not already exist, that aims to limit the use of unreasonbale volumes of water by inefficient or relatively large agricultural organizations or individuals.

3f) prohibit the destruction, contamination, or the conducting of any other action against potable water sources that renders them non-potable, for military advantage or law enforcement purposes.


Section IV: Duties of World Assembly Team on Water Rights (WATWR)

The WATWR will be tasked with:

4a) carrying out research and investigations into water security in cooperation with local governments.

4b) inspecting WA nations to confirm they are in compliance with Water Rights Act legislation.

4c) raising funds and awareness for international water crises.

4d) supporting eductation as to the importance of, and methods for, water conservation.

4e) determining and declaring the existence of water crises. This will occur when:
i) there exists within a region, nation, or other geographical area a lack of water, such that the continued survival of the area's inhabitants is threatened.
ii) a region's, nation's, or other geographical area's water supply becomes contaminated such that the water is no longer potable.
iii) a region's, nation's, or other geographical area's capability to obtain potable water is not sufficient to sustain reasonable consumption.


HEREBY enacting the Water Rights Act (WRA) and,

ESTABLISHING the World Assembly Team on Water Rights (WATWR)

I am looking for sponsors. If you have any objections or improvements for the legislation, please consider providing your statement. I aplogise if this legislation is redundant due to pre-existing works, though I could not find any.

Similar legistlation to this might already exist.

The delegation of Berhakonia offers our conditional (for now) support.

I believe you were right, the Clean Water Act (World Assembly Resolution #107) does appear to have a lot of cross-over.

In light of this, I will redraft the legislation to better target water crises, as this is largely ignored in the CWA.

Malairium wrote:I believe you were right, the Clean Water Act (World Assembly Resolution #107) does appear to have a lot of cross-over.

In light of this, I will redraft the legislation to better target water crises, as this is largely ignored in the CWA.

You might be able to include a few provisions to protect local farming and prevent unsustainable irrigation practices committed by larger agricultural corporations against smaller cooperatives.

Berhakonia wrote:You might be able to include a few provisions to protect local farming and prevent unsustainable irrigation practices committed by larger agricultural corporations against smaller cooperatives.

I agree. I am attempting to repeal the Clean Water Act, so that these changes can be implemented. I will incorporate the positivie aspects of the CWA into the new legislation. However, should the section allowing organizations to charge for water be included or removed? I'm leaning towards remove it, but that might be too limiting for strongly capitalist nations.

Malairium wrote:

Berhakonia wrote:You might be able to include a few provisions to protect local farming and prevent unsustainable irrigation practices committed by larger agricultural corporations against smaller cooperatives.

I agree. I am attempting to repeal the Clean Water Act, so that these changes can be implemented. I will incorporate the positivie aspects of the CWA into the new legislation. However, should the section allowing organizations to charge for water be included or removed? I'm leaning towards remove it, but that might be too limiting for strongly capitalist nations.

Perhaps draft your repeal on the forums instead of making one that potentially is riddled with errors and other nonsense.

Malairium wrote: ... water is defined as liquids mostly containing the molecule dihydrogen dioxide ...

OOC: The fuck is dihydrogen dioxide?

Berhakonia wrote:You might be able to include a few provisions to protect local farming and prevent unsustainable irrigation practices committed by larger agricultural corporations against smaller cooperatives.

Why only by "corporations", and not also by state-run "collectivized" agricultural programmes?
(OOC: look at cotton-farming in the Syr Darya/Amu Darya section of Turkestan during the Soviet era... Look also at what the increased extraction of water from those rivers for agricultural purposes in those years did to the Aral Sea, its formerly productive fisheries, the surrounding settlements that now found themselves not just without their fishing industry but actually miles from the new shoreline, and people downwind of the newly-exposed salt/dust-flats...)

how MUCH water does each "person" need?
how much is a more then fair share taken by industry, agriculture, et al?
how broadly is this inclusive of equally natural rights of survival for non-sapients, sentient and otherwise such as vegitation and ceasil forms?

just considerations to not overlook.
has my support as long as "person" is not defined too narrowly,
as in referring to only members of one's own species.

or too broadly as to include corporate agriculture and other industrial consumers
unless they practice water frugality and respect for the needs of all species for a sufficiently diverse natural environment to ensure its sustainability
for the well being of all.

Bananaistan wrote:

Malairium wrote: ... water is defined as liquids mostly containing the molecule dihydrogen dioxide ...

OOC: The fuck is dihydrogen dioxide?

water is defined as liquids mostly containing the molecule dihydrogen dioxide

The authoring delegation can make the above statement correct by using either
1. "hydrogen peroxide is defined as liquids mostly containing the molecule dihydrogen dioxide"
2. "water is defined as liquids mostly containing the molecule dihydrogen monoxide"

Bears Armed wrote:

Berhakonia wrote:You might be able to include a few provisions to protect local farming and prevent unsustainable irrigation practices committed by larger agricultural corporations against smaller cooperatives.

Why only by "corporations", and not also by state-run "collectivized" agricultural programmes?
(OOC: look at cotton-farming in the Syr Darya/Amu Darya section of Turkestan during the Soviet era... Look also at what the increased extraction of water from those rivers for agricultural purposes in those years did to the Aral Sea, its formerly productive fisheries, the surrounding settlements that now found themselves not just without their fishing industry but actually miles from the new shoreline, and people downwind of the newly-exposed salt/dust-flats...)

A state-owned corporation is still a corporation, the only thing that changes is the ownership. If these collective farms are in direct competition with smaller, independent farmers and are guilty of a littany of abuses against the competition, then there is no reason why they should be exempt from the provisions of this bill.

As President of Texkentuck from my neighbors hose back home and from the bottled water companies in Texkentuck I can send 20 tons of free water to people who can't afford water. Texkentuck has a big bottled water industry and they aren't going to miss some water which they get from mountains in the northern half of the nation which can supply many nation 3 times over. We would like to see a proposal for a human rights initiative to nations in which they don't have access to water at all also...

We would vote for your proposal because it's a good cause and it's not bad....If anyone needs water message my government and we can send a water tanker.



President Bram W. Schirkophf
Texkentuck Monarchy Republic Federation
U.C.C.R

Bananaistan wrote:

Malairium wrote: ... water is defined as liquids mostly containing the molecule dihydrogen dioxide ...

OOC: The fuck is dihydrogen dioxide?

Considering water only contains one atom of oxygen, I tend to question the authors research skills.

Wayneactia wrote:

Bananaistan wrote:
OOC: The fuck is dihydrogen dioxide?

Considering water only contains one atom of oxygen, I tend to question the authors research skills.

Very perceptive... I'm not a chemist but hope it's still drinking water....

Pres. Bram W. Schirkophf

Wayneactia wrote:

Bananaistan wrote:
OOC: The fuck is dihydrogen dioxide?

Considering water only contains one atom of oxygen, I tend to question the authors research skills.

That or he made a typo, don't jump to conclusions.

Texkentuck wrote:

Wayneactia wrote:Considering water only contains one atom of oxygen, I tend to question the authors research skills.

Very perceptive... I'm not a chemist but hope it's still drinking water....

Pres. Bram W. Schirkophf

Hydrogen Peroxide degrades pretty quickly in direct sunlight, so you're getting water as the end product anyway.

Berhakonia wrote:

Wayneactia wrote:Considering water only contains one atom of oxygen, I tend to question the authors research skills.

That or he made a typo, don't jump to conclusions.

Texkentuck wrote:

Very perceptive... I'm not a chemist but hope it's still drinking water....

Pres. Bram W. Schirkophf

Hydrogen Peroxide degrades pretty quickly in direct sunlight, so you're getting water as the end product anyway.

Interesting I like drinking water that has come into contact with hydrogen peroxide...If you ask most nations on this WA they think my nation drinks bleach anyway....
Oh well....
President Schirkophf holds up bourbon and shouts here is to the U.C.C.R. Then takes a gulp and puffs from cigar......

Berhakonia wrote:

Wayneactia wrote:Considering water only contains one atom of oxygen, I tend to question the authors research skills.

That or he made a typo, don't jump to conclusions.

Considering this little gem, I am fairly certain I am correct.

2d) For the purposes of this legislation, the minimum volume of potable water required to sustain human life is estimated to be 2.5 litres per person per day, though the WATWR will be tasked with evaluating this value as the situation requires.

Texkentuck wrote:

Berhakonia wrote:That or he made a typo, don't jump to conclusions.


Hydrogen Peroxide degrades pretty quickly in direct sunlight, so you're getting water as the end product anyway.

Interesting I like drinking water that has come into contact with hydrogen peroxide...If you ask most nations on this WA they think my nation drinks bleach anyway....
Oh well....
President Schirkophf holds up bourbon and shouts here is to the U.C.C.R. Then takes a gulp and puffs from cigar......

It's not going to be instant but I like playing devil's advocate

On behalf of my national legislature, I apologise for the potentially catastophic mistake.

My incompetent bill legislation staff did not research the scientific term, instead devoting a total of 2 seconds to writing the term dihydrogen dioxide, and did not bother to check it.


OOC: Sorry, typo.
To make up for my error, some trivia:

"Type O" blood is actually meant to be called Type 0 (Type Zero) blood, due to it having zero antigens in its red blood cells. However, it was written incorrectly in early medical textbooks.

I guess you could call that a

Typo

hahahahahha

Cameroi wrote:how MUCH water does each "person" need?
how much is a more then fair share taken by industry, agriculture, et al?
how broadly is this inclusive of equally natural rights of survival for non-sapients, sentient and otherwise such as vegitation and ceasil forms?

just considerations to not overlook.
has my support as long as "person" is not defined too narrowly,
as in referring to only members of one's own species.

or too broadly as to include corporate agriculture and other industrial consumers
unless they practice water frugality and respect for the needs of all species for a sufficiently diverse natural environment to ensure its sustainability
for the well being of all.

You raise several good points, for which you should be commended.

I will continue working on the definition of "person", in cnsideration with the international community.

However, the purpose of this bill was to reduce global deaths due to dehydration, as this is arguably the most immediate consequence of not having water. As a consequence, my government feels that considerations as to the suitable use of water in agriculture and industry, where it does not risk the deaths of people due to dehydration, would be better discussed in other legislation.

If you have suggestions or comments as to how these elements are relevant to this legislation, I am happy to listen to them.