The Hindu : New Delhi News : Residents oppose water tariff hike

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 09, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Residents oppose water tariff hike

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 8. Opposing any move towards raising water tariffs and privatisation, concerned citizens of the Capital participated in a seminar on Delhi's water supply tilted "Public-Public Partnerships: A Dialogue Between Citizens and the Government" here today.

"All these moves by the Delhi Jal Board towards increasing the water tariff is about going towards privatisation. But rising water tariffs and privatisation of water is not acceptable to us. Water is important to life and there is a large part of the population that cannot afford to pay the proposed increase in the water tariff. With the coming in of these multinational corporations, water will be sold as a commodity," said Vandana Shiva, director of the Research Foundation for Science Technology and Ecology.

Organised by the RFSTE, Paani Morcha, INTACH, Mahila Jagriti Samiti and Resident Welfare Associations, the aim of the day-long deliberations was to offer alternatives to the proposed raise in tariffs. Among the "constructive alternatives" discussed included cleaning the Yamuna, increasing ground water level and reducing the level of wastage by involving the Resident Welfare Associations. Instead of increasing the scale for the common man, it was also suggested that to meet the huge deficit currently faced by the DJB, the commercial users should be charged more.

"We need to work towards a public-public partnership and not privatisation. If the citizens are involved, they will by themselves ensure that there is no wastage of water and will keep a check on theft of water. The RWAs will ensure that no resident steals water because it will cut into their entire supply. This is a much more cost effective and flexible option," said Dr. Shiva. Though better management, including monitoring leaks, checking theft and corruption, about 50 per cent of water problems would be solved, she noted.

"The Delhi Jal Board is spreading some misconceptions that need to be addressed. There is no shortage of water in the city. A city that is located on the bank of a large river can never have shortage of water. What we need to look at is cleaning the water. The problem of shortage will be addressed immediately. In our deliberations today we have shown that it is possible not only for the DJB to recover the deficit but also make profits. If they do not adopt our alternatives, it obviously means that they are worried about losing the kickbacks," added Dr. Shiva.

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