India needs to stop free supply of water

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http://www.livemint.com/2010/11/14215111/India-needs-to-stop-free-suppl.html

New Delhi: India needs to end the free supply of water to resolve a water crisis the country is facing, representatives from both the government and the private sector said at the World Economic Forum's India Economic Summit in New Delhi on Sunday.

Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said the water crisis was a more serious problem than the energy crisis.

"If water is a scarce resource, it will have to be priced," Ahluwalia said, identifying pricing as the main issue in dealing with India's water problem.

Poorer people could receive a subsidy from the government or the rich could cross-subsidize their consumption, he said. The important thing, he added, is to use price as a signal to impress upon consumers the fact that water is a scarce resource.

While the central government is at the forefront of rationalizing water usage, states too have an important role to play. A solution to the crisis requires political leadership to play an active role, Ahluwalia said.

Ajit Gulabchand, chairman and managing director, Hindustan Construction Co. Ltd; Sanjeev Chadha, chairman and chief executive officer, PepsiCo India Holdings Ltd; Arjun Thapan, special senior adviser to Asian Development Bank's president for infrastructure and water; and Harish Manwani, president, Asia, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, Unilever also participated in the discussion.

In the next 10 years, India would have 1,000 cubic meters per capita of water compared with a minimum requirement of 1,700 cubic meters per capita, Thapan said.

Unilever's Manwani said the crisis requires a political solution as much as an economic solution. "When you start with something that is free, it is difficult to price it," he said.

Agriculture accounts for about 80% of India's national water usage. All the participants said cropping patterns are not in sync with water availability. The only way to bring about sustainable agricultural practices was to stop subsidizing water, they said.
 

dineshchaturvedi

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I agree to some extent, we waste a lot of water and when government will charge for water people will get better.
 

Yusuf

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Who gets free supply of water? What are the water meters for that are installed in each connection of water supply? We do pay for water. At least in bangalore.
 
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When I first saw the headline I mistakenly thought it was the free water flowing from India to neighboring countries.
 

Yusuf

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I don't think india will be able to charge the farmers for water for irrigation. That would be political suicide for them. When they promise free electricity as a poll promise, who can expect them to charge for water? Also charging them for water will have an effect on food prices which will go up to factor in the cost of water.
I think judicious use of water is what's required by farmers and as far as I know, they do respect water and its scarcity more than urban lot.
 

anoop_mig25

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:angry_10::angry_10::angry_10:

why pay for water has any body invented it or discovers it nooooooooo is the ans

gov must find another way and yes lots of water is wasted by gov run various institute or
 

thakur_ritesh

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oh by the way when is the air that we breathe going to be taxed? cleaner air someone?

free water supply, now when did that start happening? MCs across the country tax the water!
 

Yusuf

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:angry_10::angry_10::angry_10:

why pay for water has any body invented it or discovers it nooooooooo is the ans

gov must find another way and yes lots of water is wasted by gov run various institute or
Where do you live? water is charged. Any municipal supply is metered and charged accordingly. We used to pay through our noses in bangalore till we got our well cleaned and started using again. But for that also we needed permission and had to pay up and what's more we pay a nominal amount to the water supply company every month regardless of our dead water supply line.
 

Ray

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There is a lot of water that is wasted since it is free.

Filtered water should be taxed.

Fir gardening, there should be unfiltered water and that too must be taxed.

This will save some water wastage.

I say some since the real wastage will not be curbed.

The real wastage is municipal water for slum or where the tap is for the community as in chawls or public convenience facilities in public areas like the Malls, bus stations, railway stations etc.

In short, taxing would be merely cosmetic and just a talking point of 'achievement' by Jairam Ramesh's Ministry, which otherwise is doing a tolerably good job given the circumstances they are presented by realpolitik.
 

Yusuf

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In dubai there are two meters. One in the supply and one in the sewage. It is charged in other lines. So people are forced to be doubly careful about the amount of water they use. I doubt though if it could be implemented here in India.
 

S.A.T.A

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Who gets free supply of water anyway.If the govt is suggesting that if i were to setup a conventional well or a borewell, but have to pay the govt to use it,this would be completely unacceptable.Water supplied by the city corporation and municipalities use public resource to keep it going and public will have to pay to replenish those resources.However a true welfare state should never charge for the most basic of human amenities,it should make money elsewhere to pay for these things.
 

Ray

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In dubai there are two meters. One in the supply and one in the sewage. It is charged in other lines. So people are forced to be doubly careful about the amount of water they use. I doubt though if it could be implemented here in India.
I wonder if it will work in India.

In Calcutta, many times there has been a hue and cry that water will be taxed.

It has repeatedly failed.

Why?

Vote Bank politics!!

SATA

In Calcutta we get free water!
 

Yusuf

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I wonder if it will work in India.

In Calcutta, many times there has been a hue and cry that water will be taxed.

It has repeatedly failed.

Why?

Vote Bank politics!!

SATA

In Calcutta we get free water!
Sir in kolkata a family of four can survive with 10k a month and in bangalore we struggle with 25k.
 

jameswilliam

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As per one research India need to end the free supply of water, to address the water crisis in the country is facing from the government and the private sector representative said that the World Economic Forum India Economic Summit in New Delhi. Another thing is that the most important thing, he added, is to use price signals to impress upon consumers that water is a scarce resource.
 

The Messiah

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water supply should be free.

but when someone uses above certain limit then they should pay.
 

Godless-Kafir

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If we stop Indus then China will stop Brahmaputra and then Bangladesh will die! We dont want that in our hands.
 

The Messiah

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If we stop Indus then China will stop Brahmaputra and then Bangladesh will die! We dont want that in our hands.
not to mention that we will also suffer.

infact we should use this...we should give ultimatum that we will stop indus if chinese stop brahmaputra....surely china wont want its puppet to suffer even more.
 

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