World Water Day 2011 : Privatisation is no remedy to our water troubles

With your first sip of water today, know that it is World Water Day. This is a confusing day, because all of us need water tomorrow just as we needed it yesterday and today. It is, however, 2011 and we all know that India — a country that once boasted of baolis, kunds, and other methods of traditional water management — is facing what looks like a nasty water scarcity.

Water falls from the sky, flows in rivers, the seas and is an inherent part of nature because it makes plants stand up straight and holds soil together. At the same time, living beings are alive because of water. Logically, every human should have enough water to drink, as should the plants and animals that are all part of the balance of life on this planet. But the question people tend to worry about at this point is: do we have enough water for this? If we use World Water Day to reflect on water- related movements in 2010, with Delhi as a case study, two words stand out: equitable and sustainable.

We saw strong protests for clean water from marginalised communities in east Delhi and longer daily queues behind water tankers all over the Capital. And yet, people from more affluent sections of society continued to wash big cars with pipes of gushing water, while others in the city continued to drink yellow contaminated water. Some clearly have easier access to gallons of water than others in Delhi.

And all this happened in the year that the General Assembly of the United Nations, on July 28, recognised access to clean water and sanitation as a human right.

In terms of Delhi’s supply, the Yamuna is dead and groundwater is being extracted faster than it is replenished. But the planning commission claims Delhi has more per capita water availability than many European cities such as Paris and Amsterdam. If we go by their claim, we clearly have enough water in Delhi. What we need to do now is to distribute it equitably and manage it sustainably.

In 2000, Bolivians in South America protested and prevented the privatisation of their water resources. In 2005, Delhi’s water supply was almost privatised, but citizens fought this off. Privatisation is often explained by governments as a solution to inequitable water distribution and inefficiency.

Himanshu Thakkar, who is a keen observer of water- related issues and coordinator of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, says: “ Governance of water supply system needs to be more transparent, accountable and participatory. It is because of the absence of these qualities that the water system is inefficient, wasteful, inequitable, and economically unviable.

But instead of addressing the lack of transparency, accountability and participation, they are saying they will solve the problems by privatisation, which is barking up the wrong tree.” Another solution proposed to address Delhi’s supposed water scarcity is the building of new dams, such as Renuka dam in Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh, or dams in Uttarakhand.

But the Renuka dam will affect more than 1,000 families and destroy a fertile agricultural valley where people already live sustainably and distribute resources equitably. The key to sustainably managed and equitably distributed water resources is the reclamation of water as a common property resource, as something to share and use carefully. Small communities have managed to revive water sources around India and the world.

People in Delhi are reviving baolis for water management, others have come together to build check dams and demand water rights in Maharashtra. Communities in Rajasthan have revived rivers. It’s the strength of communities who realise their responsibility over water resources, which has lead to positive change. There’s hope yet!