Modern Water Rights

Modern Water Rights

The vital importance of water to human activity is such that most societies and cultures have sought to establish legal rules over its use and allocation. In most jurisdictions legal rights to water have been linked to land tenure and ownership rights. A number of countries have recently undertaken substantive water law reforms, usually involving the introduction of formal and explicit water rights that clearly specify the volume of water that is subject to each right ("modern water rights"), together with institutional arrangements for their allocation, registration, monitoring and enforcement. Modern water rights are not intrinsically tied to specific land plots, are often transferable and available to be traded on a temporary or permament basis. This book reviews international experiences of the introduction and use of modern water rights. It is based on a survey of relevant primary and secondary legislation, published literature, internet sources and practical experience.

Modern Water Law

Environmental Protection and Human Rights

With unique scholarly analysis and practical discussion, this book provides a comprehensive introduction to the relationship between environmental protection and human rights being formalized into law in many legal systems. This book instructs on environmental techniques and procedures that assist in the protection of human rights. The text provides cogent guidance on a growing international jurisprudence on the promotion and protection of human rights in relation to the environment that has been developed by international and regional human rights bodies and tribunals. It explores a rich body of case law that continues to develop within states on the environmental dimension of the rights to life, to health, and to public participation and access to information. Five compelling contemporary case studies are included that implicate human rights and the environment, ranging from large dam projects to the creation of a new human right to a clean environment.