What is the issue?
Due to lacunae in the urban water sector strong push is being made for water privatisation.
What are the problems of privatization?
- The problems in water sector include losses, inefficiency, unreliability, corruption, issues of quality, and mismanagement.
- But the international experience shows that the privatisation of water, privatization has never sustained over a long period of time in a comprehensive manner, especially in the urban water sector.
- Mostly privatisation of some small sub-sector like water distribution is done and the rest of the issues are still kept in the public sector.
- Management of water supply is an issue of rights and a basic need, as acknowledged by the judiciary.
- Moreover, water is embedded in the ecosystem. Any attempt to see water only as a commodity is bound to have multiple disruptive consequences.
- The promise of creating competition that will benefit the consumer due to privatisation has not been delivered in the power sector.
- The power sector is not only a monopoly but refuses to submit itself to public audit.
What should be done?
- It does not address the real problem in the water sector, which is a need for better governance.
- We need democratic, transparent, accountable and participatory governance in a bottom-up approach, on each aspect of the urban water sector where water privatisation is advocated.
- Only those who can must be made to pay.
Source: The Hindu
