Abstract Historically, water and sanitation (WASH) laws have focused on human health and urban engineering, often viewing "waste" as a pollutant to be removed rather than a nutrient to be cycled. This research paper explores the legal paradigm shift required to transition from a human-centric model to an eco-centric integration, where water and sanitation laws serve as primary instruments for biodiversity conservation. By reimagining "Right to Sanitation" through the lens of "Rights of Nature," we can create legal frameworks that protect aquatic ecosystems and terrestrial habitats simultaneously. The global governance of the hydrological cycle is currently fractured by a profound ontological and statutory schism. On one side lies the "brown" agenda of sanitation engineering—governed by public health mandates, urbanization policies, and a utilitarian view of water as a vector for waste transport. On the other lies the "green" agenda of biodiversity conservation—governed by environmental treaties, protected area regulations, and an increasingly desperate attempt to shield ecosystems from human encroachment. This report argues that this "Great Divergence" in law has created a "metabolic rift," where the legal structures designed to protect human dignity (the Human Right to Water and Sanitation) often inadvertently mandate the degradation of the very ecosystems (the Human Right to a Healthy Environment) upon which all life depends.
Prajakta Pradip Shirke (Sat,) studied this question.