ABSTRACT
The UN’s recognition of water as a human right is a demonstration of water ethics on the world stage, as are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Yet the fact that so many are still without basic water service suggests that ethics are not being applied very effectively. There has been a generous response from many NGOs, small as well as large, eager to help rural communities have safe water, but often with little understanding of the nuanced challenges of doing so. Careful articulation of the values of both donors and beneficiary communities is particularly important. Urban water supply offers a very different set of ethical challenges, with the focus more on the relationship of the city to its watershed, social justice for the water needs of the poor, and opportunities to use water for providing urban amenities for all. The New Urban Water Agenda is bringing new emphasis on urban quality of life based on both sustainability and justice. An ethics perspective helps ensure that all segments of the city, as well as nature, are involved in shaping that new water agenda.
