Water issues

Water Issue

This Presentation is inspired by an article written by

Prof. Judith Rees (Director of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change & the Environment)

of London School of Economics and Political Science

Water

Water, oh waterYou go down my throatTip in a glass You'll sink like a boat.

Water, oh waterYou also clean meTurn on the warm waterAnd fill me with glee

Water, oh waterGrow me a cropFruits and veggiesMy mouth will drop.

Water, oh waterLet me swimDon't let me drownI already have water within.

Tasteless, odorless, colorlessYet valuable and versatileWater, the one use for drinkingTo quench thirst and dehydrationWater, the one used for bathing, Without you, our bodies would be stinkingWater, the one used for irrigationWithout you, all the plants would be deadWater, the one used for cooking, Without you, food would be eaten rawWater, the one used for washingWithout you, our possessions would be dirtyWater, the universal solventAll the solutes depend on youI wonder how life would have been likeWithout water! Water is life, no water no life! Water, you're the most vital liquid of liquids

Water, water, every where,nor any drop to drink!!!

Millions of people still lack access to even most basic services of water & sanitation

ONE

3 billion are still forced to drink waterfrom unsafe sources

TWO

Pace of urbanization has outstripped connections to water infrastructure.

THREE

Over 2.5 billion lack access to even the most basic forms of sanitation,

Which has major implications for

1. Public health,2. Environment3. Safety of ground water4. Safety of downstream water

FOUR

1.4 million children under Five die annually due to unsafe water & inadequate sanitation

FIVE

Global Economics Losses of US$ 260 billion per annum due to lack of basic water services

What Needs our urgent attention?

ONE

Our Failure to value water

Pricing

TWO

Adopting appropriate pricing policy

15 Rs Per liter for Clean Drinking water where as…

Pricing

TWO

Un-priced or under priced water resources and services make it virtually inevitable that demand will outstrip supply

Pricing

TWO

Little investment will take place to improve water use efficiency or to develop non-conventional water sources

Policy/ Allocation of Resources

Two

Available supplies will not be allocated to the most economically and socially beneficial purposes.

True Value?

THREEStill common for us to consider water resources and ecosystems services as “FREE GOODS” and for water supplies to be “SOLD” for all purposes (Agriculture, Industrial, Domestic) at prices which fail to recover the operating costs.

How can one make any contribution to infrastructure replacement or extension?

Governments/ Ministers & Politicians make false recognition about “the need for sustainable and efficient cost recovery and innovative financing mechanisms”.

Recognition is one thing, implementation quite another

TWO

Water pricing reforms are always controversial but without them the management system will not be sustainable either in environmentalor in economic terms

Investments & Maintenance

Four

We need an investment of about US $ 18 billion to Give Safe Water & Sanitation to All

Some US $ 54 billion per annum is requiredto maintain the existing infrastructure

& very large, but largely un-quantified, sums to tackle pollution and ecosystem degradation, reduce vulnerability to water related hazards and address the potential effects of climate change

Finance

Five

To solve the problem India will get at the most only 5% form the world in the coming years as finance & AID

We will have to as citizens of India contribute 95 % of the required investments

Are we ready?Is our System ready?Is our Government ready?

Attracting Investments

SIXPrivate sector investments will only come if reasonable rates of return can be made…

Reality is that the bulk of the needed funding can only come from User charges or Public budgets.

It is a common opinion everywhere in the world that WATER is a public good & hence its elements should be publically provided and financed.

???

Don’t we not derive private benefits from use of water?

What do we learn then?

SEVENWhere ever possible revenue should be raised from user or beneficiary payments…

However, there are much higher opportunity costs involved in continuing to use public funds to provide private goods to those who can afford to pay for them..

Meaning, why should water be provided as a public good to those who can afford to pay higher price?

suggests that we need a differential pricing strategy & policy.

For Example

Low use Low PriceHigh Use High Price

Can Be a Policy Thumb Rule

Other Challenges

Eight

Pricing reforms are but just one challenge

Equally important is the need to develop governance and institutional arrangements, which recognize not only the interdependencies that exist between the different users and uses of the same multipurpose water resources but also…

Those between the water sectors and other sectors of the economy

Service Above Self

A Presentation byRtn. Amit Gopal Chauhan

Rotary Club of Kalyan, RI District: 3140India

Cell: +919769442462Email: [email protected]