Market-Based Solutions to Water Problems in India: Some Thoughts

Authors

  • Abhijit Pathak Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Dhruba Chand Halder College, Dakshin Barasat, West Bengal, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31305/rrijm.2023.v08.n05.001

Keywords:

Water Privatization, National Water Policy, Private Public Partnership, Market-Based Instruments, Water Monopolies

Abstract

Water is a good which is a necessity for human life. The policy makers of independent India who worked for preparation of a free and egalitarian society visualized provision of drinking water to all by the public bodies at minimum charges. For a long time, drinking water was scarce in India and even in many places its access was restricted to a few only. But it was never a commercial product. In India, the idea of a ‘market’ for water evolved in the post-liberalization period. It is only in the last two decades, the market for drinking water has started flourishing here and emerged as an industry. Water market has a huge potential in India with population of 130 crores. The international institutions like IMF and WTO have also favoured market-based solutions for water. According to these votaries of market, water is not a free natural resource but a private good; and market for water will decide a price for water where demand and supply will match. Thus, market-based solutions will help countries to use water resources efficiently and conserve water too. Against this backdrop, this paper has attempted to critically examine the present drinking water policy of the government of India (GOI) and its roadmap to solve the drinking water problem. In this context, we would delve into the role of private sector and the market envisaged by the policy makers. This paper has found that if the path of market-based solutions for drinking water is followed, it will increase disparities in access to drinking water in India. Universal access to safe drinking water is going to be a crucial human rights issue in future.

Author Biography

Abhijit Pathak, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Dhruba Chand Halder College, Dakshin Barasat, West Bengal, India

Abhijit Pathak is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics of Dhruba Chand Halder College, Dakshin Barasat, West Bengal. He has completed his M.A and M.Phil in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He is teaching Economics at the undergraduate level for over 12 years. He has several research publications to his credit.

References

Amarasinghe, U. A., Sharma, B. R., Aloysius, N., Scott, C., Smakhtin, V. and de Fraiture, C. (2005). ‘Spatial Variation of Water Supply and Demand across River Basins of India’. Research Report 83. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute.

Asthana V and Shukla, A. C. (2003). ‘Sustainable development as a new security paradigm for India’. In A. Najam (Ed.), Environment, Development and Human Security: Perspectives from South Asia. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, pp. 25–27.

GOI (1987). ‘National Water Policy 1987’, Ministry of Water Resources. New Delhi, Government of India. http://cgwb.gov.in/documents/nwp_1987.pdf. Last accessed 15.02.2023.

GOI (2002). ‘National Water Policy 2002’. Ministry of jal shakti, department of water resources, https://nwm.gov.in/national-water-policy-2002. Last accessed 15.02.2023.

GOI (2012). ‘National Water Policy 2012’. Ministry of jal shakti, department of water resources, accessed at https://jalshaktidowr.gov.in/sites/default/files/NWP2012Eng6495132651_1.pdf. Last accessed 15.02.2023.

Gupta, E. (2020). ‘An Analysis of the Indian Water Crisis and Privatization’, Studies in Applied Economics, No. 148, February, 2020.

Hanke, Steve H., and Stephen J.K. Walters. (2011). ‘Privatizing Waterworks: Learning from the French Experience’. Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, vol. 23, no. 3, 2011, pp. 30–35.

Hanke, Steve H., and Stephen J.K. Walters. (2011). ‘Reflections on Private Water Supply: Agency and Equity Issues.’ Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, vol. 23, no. 3, 2011, pp. 36–40

Kaur, S. and Gauttam, P. (2022). ‘Water Security in India: Exploring the Challenges and Prospects’ in Singh S and Singh S (eds) Non-traditional Security Concerns in India, Singapore, Springer.

Maude Barlow (2003). ‘Blue Gold – ‘The Fight to Stop the Corporate Theft of the World’s Water’. New Press, April 2003.

MOWR. (2002). ‘National Water Policy’. Ministry of Water Resources New Delhi Government of India. http://www.cgwb.gov.in/nwp2002pdf NWP 2002. Last accessed 15.02.2023.

Nair, S (2015). ‘Privatisation of Urban Water Supply: The Muddy Picture’, accessed at https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/privatisation-of-urban-water-supply-the-muddy-picture/. Last Accessed 17.02.2023.

Narsalay, R. (2003). ‘Who Controls Water in an Unfolding GATT Regime? A Case Study of India’, Paper presented for the research project on Linking the WTO to the Poverty Reduction agenda. http://www.gapresearch.org/governance/NarsalayGATSandwaterpaperjune03. Last accessed on 18.02.2023.

OECD. (2015). ‘Securing Water, Sustaining Growth’, Report of the GWP/OECD Task Force on Water Security and Sustainable Growth, University of Oxford, https://www.gwp.org/globalassets/global/about-gwp/publications/the-global-dialogue/securing-water-sustaining-growth.pdf. Last accessed on 20.02.2023.

Petrella, R. (2001). ‘The Water Manifesto: Arguments for a World Water Contract’, Zed Book.

Purohit, M (2016). ‘Privatising India’s Water is a Bad Idea’, https://thewire.in/politics/water-privatisation. Last accessed on 22.02.2023.

Sampath, A., Kedarnath, B., Ramanujam, C., Haidery, H., Rao, R., Arunachalam, R., Govindaraju, S., Thirumalavan, V and Jeet,V (2003). ‘Water Privatization and Implications for India’, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/238078636_Water_Privatization_and_Implications_in_India. Last accessed on 20.02.2023.

Sinha, U, K (2013). ‘The Strategic Politics of Water in South Asia in India’s Human Security: Lost Debates, Forgotten People, Intractable Challenges.’ London, Routledge.

Sinha, U, K (2013). ‘The Strategic Politics of Water in South Asia’ in India’s Human Security: Lost Debates, Forgotten People, Intractable Challenges. London, Routledge.

Downloads

Published

15-05-2023

How to Cite

Pathak, A. (2023). Market-Based Solutions to Water Problems in India: Some Thoughts. RESEARCH REVIEW International Journal of Multidisciplinary, 8(5), 01–08. https://doi.org/10.31305/rrijm.2023.v08.n05.001