EXPECTATIONS from ULBs (Water Wars)
Most state Governments have listed more than the 18 subjects mentioned in 74 Amendment as primary and secondary functions of Urban Local Bodies and named these as obligatory and discretionary functions.Street lighting, fire services , registration of births and deaths , solid waste management, drinking water , sewage etc came under the obligatory duties. Construction of libraries,parks , planting of trees etc are covered under secondary functions.
In some countries under the Free Basic Services policy, water supply, electricity, sanitation and waste removal services of a certain minimal quality and quantity are to be provided by local governments to all households free of cost. A minimum level of service is also explicitly defined.Stipulated access to certain amount of clean water per month for within a certain distance from dwelling, with fixed reliability and a minimum flow has been fixed.
Similarly for electricity each household should have access to a certain amount of KWH per month, which is the amount of energy necessary for a month of basic lighting, small black and white TV, basic ironing etc .
The funding for minimum basic services is a part of the unconditional grant
from the central government to municipalities in these countries. How much of it can be done in
India again needs political will and long duress of legislation and power
sharing. (refer to earlier piece on prelude to DOP).
One realizes that Clean Water supply with reliability has been the foremost activity of ULBs and shall remain so in coming years. Consider the scenario predicted by environmental bodies in view of sanitation misadventures or inaction.
Inadequate water supply in Indian cities seems to be a rule rather than an exception. Even while taking 100 litres per capita per day as the criterion for defining water deficient and sufficient households, 65% of the sample households remain water deficient. The 54th round NSSO data show that 70.1% of the households in urban India depend on tap water (municipal supply), 21.4% on tube wells, 6.7% on wells/open wells, and the rest on other sources. The seasonal variations in municipal tap water supply leads to use of ground water by households as it is seen as the easiest, fastest and to an extent durable ‘solution’ to the water crisis. And, as mentioned above, this is resulting in groundwater depletion in and around the cities. The overuse of groundwater resources has lead to increase in arsenic concentration in many wards in Kolkata, and similarly fluoride concentration in majority of cities and towns in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Urban water supply and sanitation are important basic needs for the improvement of the quality of life and enhancement of productive efficiency of the people. In urban areas, water is tapped for domestic and industrial uses from rivers, streams, wells and lakes. Almost 80% of the water supplied for domestic use, comes out as waste water. In most of the cases waste water is let out untreated and it either sinks into the ground as a potential pollutant of ground water or is discharged into the natural drainage system causing pollution in downstream areas
Municipal sewage may be defined as “waste (mostly liquid) originating from a community; may be composed of domestic waste waters and/or industrial discharges”. It is major source of water pollution in India, particularly in and around large urban centers. Waste water treatment , harnessing and water supply can be clubbed as three facets of the same coin.
In India Municipalities have
responsibilities for service provision and are seen as service provider. One
way to make our ULBs function better is if
both the roles are divided. The
can be very useful in making cities explore more effective and efficient
ways of service delivery.
David McKenzie and Isha Ray have mostly advocated privatization , increasing efficiency and hiking of water tarrifs as the main solutions in URBAN WATER SUPPLY IN INDIA: STATUS, REFORM OPTIONS AND POSSIBLE LESSONS
http://erg.berkeley.edu/publications/Isha%20Ray/McKenzieRay-India-urbanwater-forWP.pdf
One should not forget the fact that easy loans come with other cliches. In Bolivia The World Bank pressurized the government to give up its control of municipal water supply. The government sold these rights for the city of Cochabamba to a multi-national company (MNC). The company immediately increased the price of water. Strikes followed and the government imposed martial law. But the people forced the officials of the MNC to flee the city and made the government concede to all the demands of the protesters. The contract with the MNC was cancelled and water supply was restored to the municipality at old rates. This came to be known as Bolivia’s water war.
The Delhi Government harped on the subsidy route to fund for minimum basic services is a part of the unconditional grant . One understands that Delhi Jal board officials managed a coup of sorts due to haste and unpreparedness of AAP in shifting the focus from efficiency. One also wonders on level and homework of AAP on the ULB water reforms . The party had no concrete plans but were shouting hoarse on ready made solutions with them for more than a year.
Though one way of natural movement would be establishing the water services based on subsidy for basic minimum requirements and gradual shift to a more efficient and viable solution. It should however have time guidelines for policy implementation and well defined penalties both financial and criminal to ensure easy flow of resources. It make take a long while to establish an efficient system but don't good things come with premium of either cost or time?
One must realize that age of revolutionary changes have passed by us ....
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