Water Insecurity in The Navajo Nation: Analyzing the Failure to Implement Policy on Water Rights at the State and Federal Level

Water scarcity around the world has become an increasing issue as factors ranging from climate change to water pollution has tainted once safe drinking water sources. While water scarcity has been rapidly impacting more people over the years, especially within marginalized and low-income communities, there has been a failure to properly address these issues at the state and federal level. The failure to implement policy has particularly hit Indigenous communities the hardest as they have had to battle, and continue to battle, for years for access to safe drinking water. In comparison to white households, the Navajo Nation is 67 times more likely to live without access to water. After gaining implied water rights under the 1908 Winters Doctrine, with the addition of analyzing past treaties such as the 1868 Treaty, the Navajo Nation struggled to determine their shared water rights with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. While the Navajo were able to establish water settlements with both New Mexico and Utah, Arizona remained resistant sharing water rights. After arguing a case to the Supreme Court stating that the United States should have been responsible for securing water rights for the Navajo, the ruling was not in their favor causing a setback in their mission to secure tribal water rights. The Navajo people continue to push for water rights and hope to implement proper infrastructure throughout their reservation, wanting everyone to have access to safe drinking water. If not done urgently and properly, water insecurity will not only be condition in which the Navajo and Indigenous people are susceptible to, but everyone across the world will be too.