Water Pricing and its Regulation by the State

The oft-repeated cliché of an Indian Politician would be ‘Roti, Kapda aur Makkan’. The quintessential slogan with its Rhythmic phonetics unmistakably describes the basic needs of the aam admi. The aam admi, self-reliant and Independent, often never looks forward to the Politician for his basic needs, needs which are fast becoming a Luxury, needs for which one has to toil hard. Of late the society has realized its individual and the state’s responsibility, the slogan of food, clothing and shelter has changed. In Tamil Nadu’s context, the society’s expectation from the state has moved from freebies, to better services. Freebies no longer satiate people’s aspirations, its Power, Roads and Health-Care that the society demands over any other material comforts.

The Governments of the day on the other hand had kept itself busy with its own Business. The minister’s kept themselves busy with their Private and Personal Business, manipulated and bent the system to the advantage of their business. The state resources were legally plundered by the corporate mafia for its own benefits and the excuse offered was ‘in the larger interest of public benefit’.

The natural resources like Spectrum and Coal were almost gifted to the corporate entities at throwaway prices. In the name of development Forest and Agri-lands were snatched from Tribals and farmers and were sold off at market rates to MNC’s. Granite Mining leveled many mountains and sand quarrying caused irreparable environment damages. Power shortages and unimpeded transformation of Ponds and water reservoirs has made Agriculture a non-profitable venture. Many farmers prefer to sell the land to real estate mafia than tilling the soil.    

The record of the state is no better in delivery of other essential services like PDS, water, road, electricity, and Healthcare. Invariably, no province of the Indian state can claim any exemption from these citizen grievances.

Capitalism being the adhoc mantra of the Indian Union, the imported western moles in the Union finance department is busy, tightening the noose around the common man. One such ingenious move is water regulation by the state; a draft of this Policy could be found at the websites of the Union Water Resource Ministry, christened as National Water Policy-2012.

The Bill deals with every aspect of water related issues like, existing resources, use and Misuse of water, demand, depletion, existing and proposed water policy. Two dangerous ideas proposed in the bill are water regulation and pricing by the state.

Why the bill warrants our attention is for the simple fact that it intends to punish the society for the failure of the political class. Successive state and Central Government have failed in many facets, which have led us to the present scenario of Urban and Rural water scarcity.

The unrestrained growth of Population, unplanned urbanization, dense-habitation by flat systems and Housing Board colonies, Non-Nationalization of rivers and non-regulation of hazardous Industrial effluents have made the supply of drinking water a scarce resource. The salinity penetration in water has increased unabatedly. Polices were never implemented to check these banes on time.

Water regulation by the state; first it would come with dual pricing one with subsidized domestic and another for commercial purposes. Over time, Domestic one would be smuggled for commercial purposes; water subsidies would be limited and ultimately eliminated. Finally, Water bill equals or exceeds electricity bill.

Imagine a world where water is regulated by Politicians. FDI would be welcomed for drinking water distribution and irrigation, MNC’s would get gallons of water at subsided rates, water supply agency would be a Investment Portfolio item for the politician’s Business, Gardens and Horticulture would become commercial ventures, Botany would become a chapter of History Books, rural areas would get water supply for twelve hours and metro cities would have water supply cutoff for hours.

Water and air are the two commodities which are a part of Human Rights, if the state is allowed to regulate it; it would be a transgression into our Human Rights. Decades before Sir Winston Churchill once predicted about India ‘a day would come when even air and water would be taxed’; our politicians have proved him right.