The United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Council recognised the human right to water in 2010. This book clarifies the legal status and meaning of the right to water through a detailed analysis of its legal foundations, legal nature, normative content and corresponding State obligations. It examines implications for water allocation, placing the right to water in the broader context of competing water uses and related human rights, and discusses how human rights can prioritise basic needs and empower people to hold states accountable.