Water Debate

My grandfather cherished the rivers,

My father celebrated the tanks
I suffice with the bottles
Will the next generation spot its pictures?
Greetings to all the dignitaries present here, I am Vanisha Singh, a student of Fr. Agnel School,
Greater Noida, here for the debate on whether water should be free or priced, to speak in the favour of
pricing of water.
Imagine yourself in a time when your lush green backyard has changed into dried brown shrubs and
you can’t water them because there is a ban on watering. It’s so scarce! When you go to the
supermarket, there are fewer foods available and in the restaurant, you can’t have your favorite dishes
as they have now disappeared. Your home tap water is no longer potable and you have to buy it from
stores. You have to occasionally get into fights with random strangers in order to secure water. That’s
what the UN report predicted, would happen after a short span of 8 years if water is used the same
way it is being used today.
I believe that if you say that like sunlight and air, water also comes from nature so it should be free is
a very big misconception. Yes, it is our human right to get safe access to sufficient water for our
personal and domestic needs but according to me, water should be priced for all those who can afford
it.
What if water was free?
Free water amid the water crisis would have a negative impact on the economy. Today, various
parties are distributing the so-called freebies. And people, having an insatiable hunger for free
supplies, fall into delusion, and vote for them. Rich homes often have subsidized pipelines or
submersibles which provide water at relatively low prices. In contrast, people living in slum areas do
not even have connections and therefore, have to buy water from local tankers. In our country,
estimates say that by 2050, 6% of the GDP would be lost due to the water crisis. This is entirely
counterproductive to our goals of sustainable development. Hence, adding to the probability that by
2030, 40% of the population of our country won’t have access to drinking water. Nevertheless, the
pricing of water in this regard would provide extra funds available to find new sources of water or
build new water storage facilities.
Also, a free supply of water to all houses would make people feel its abundance and make them use it
without much worry. This is what is happening today. People tend to neglect the importance of water
conservation because in most places it is free of cost or charged nominally. If you pay for each drop
of a leaky tap, you are more likely to fix it. Hence, the pricing of water would compel the citizens to
use it conscientiously. Likewise, when we pay for a thing, we want it to be in the best condition. So,
paying a price for water, we would also ensure that the quality of water is good by having regular
checks and would inform the authorities if it is not of a drinkable quality.
Water is the most cherished human resource. But its abundance should not delude us into believing it
is limitless. We need to work for a world where water is available centuries ahead.
So, those who can afford to should pay a reasonable and fair price for access to water. But for people
who cannot pay for reasons beyond their control, water should be supplied to them through a better
system of water management and distribution. Pricing of water on cost basis is essential because it not
only helps in resource generation but also results in efficient usage of water and discourages wastage
of water. The tariff needs to be revised from time to time to keep up with the operation and
maintenance cost of the urban water supply bodies in each state, and importantly, it should be fair and
reasonable for different income group consumers to ensure right to clean water for all.
Thank You

(677 words)