Access to clean water is a basic human right. Therefore, every home should receive a water supply free of charge. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Access to clean water is a basic human right. Therefore, every home should receive a water supply free of charge.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Why free water 

• Water is as critical as food and shelter, so it should be extended free 
• Most diseases spread through and the poor cannot pay for accessing potable water 
• Empower the poor 
• People pay taxes, and thus should receive water free  

Why not free 

• This resource,which is already dwindling, may become prone to misuse 
• Erecting infrastructure for clean water needs constant maintenance 
• Modernization and improvement may not become possible 

Generally, it is propounded that the government should provide accessible water facilities to the citizens for their good. However, this notion is debatable and has its own pros and cons which are essential to be assessed to give a justified conclusion. In the essay I would assess such notions.

Water is the basic need of an individual and is considered as important as air, food and shelter. This act of government can provide destitutes an equal access which they might not be able to afford because of their financial condition. In addition to this, citizens are the tax payers, and thus, it is their right to get access to clean water in reciprocation. Moreover, by providing free water supply to the citizens, the government can keep control over the disease that might spread. For instance, if clean water is not  provided to them free of cost, they will be forced to use contaminated water which is the major cause of diseases which are being spread.

However, this provision could lead to severe complications. The most prominent being people starting to take this amenity for granted, and started wasting it, exacerbating the problem of an already dwindling resource.  Moreover, this would create a dearth of funds required for sustaining the quality and incorporating modernization in the water infrastructure; this  privilege will force the state to divert money to render free of charge potable water supply, causing a shortage of resources for upgradation of services, and thereby, causing a deterioration in the quality of water.     

In conclusion, I partially agree with this proposal. Free access to water should be only afforded to the impoverished population sectors, and rest should be charged. Also, a cap on free facility should be put in place to prevent misuse.