Letter to the Housing Committee of the Egyptian Parliament

Dear Members of the Housing Committee,
As you all know the right to access to clean drinking water is one of the basic human rights that are enlisted in all international human rights declarations especially the declarations regarding the social, economic, and cultural rights. It is also enlisted in the article # 16 of the Egyptian constitution. However, and beyond any reasonable explanation, the government has increased the prices of potable water. One would expect that the government would apply the totally opposite policies such as reducing water prices so as to be accessible to the poor classes of the Egyptian society and to the cities outside Cairo.

We call for you to stand on the side of the citizens' rights in clean and affordable drinking water. We urge you to call for reverting the water price in Cairo to its initial level before the recent increase and to ensure that the price of water in other cities equals this price. We also urge you to call for the government to consider the water quality before increasing its price. Furthermore, we urge you to pressure the government to pay its debts to the General Water Authority so that it can upgrade and maintain its water facilities.

We are reminding you that you are dealing with a very sensitive issue and paramount matter. We hope that you will reach what is in the best interest of the Egyptian citizen.

Also, in November 2003, the HCER issued a statement entitled "Our Good Land! Who Shall We Believe?" requesting a clarification from government officials regarding violations on agricultural land and announcing the facts to the Egyptian citizens regarding these violations. se mentioned earlier.

Potable Water Campaign