The policy and ethical implications include efficient management and equitable allocation of water resources. Priorities must be established to balance food security, health improvement, environmental protection and economic growth, taking into account the availability of the resources in the long run, and bearing in mind the interests of future generations. Transboundary issues must also be taken into account. The obligation to fulfil is an obligation for a more positive action to facilitate and provide access to adequate water for those who do not have it. Such activities do not necessarily have to be undertaken by the state directly, but it should ensure that appropriate action is taken.
User fees can be a practical way of regulating use and encouraging thriftiness.
However, a water system that excludes certain groups who cannot afford to pay the user fees could be inconsistent with human rights. Therefore the user fees must be affordable for the poor, and even waived up to a certain limit, to ensure that minimum needs are met. In recent years there have been important developments regarding a general rights-based approach to human needs and to human development. This approach is based on the principles of participation, empowerment, non-discrimination, accountability, transparency and the rule of law as well as justiciability, meaning access to redress. It also entails that each individual is important, calling for aggregated data collection rather than just national averages.