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
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
Potable water has, eternally and universally, been acknowledged as a fundamental privilege for everyone, but should it be afforded without any charge to every household is a highly debatable issue and needs critical analysis before reaching a well-reasoned conclusion.
The suggestion for rendering this resource without any levy is founded on the belief that it is as critical a need as food, shelter, and clothing, and humans cannot survive without it for more than three days, as established by scientific studies. However, the impoverished find it beyond their means to buy it. Moreover, undeniably, this substance is the potent medium of spreading fatal diseases like diarrhea and dysentery, that kill millions, especially children and the poor every year. Therefore, it seems reasonable to supply this mineral without charging any price.
Nevertheless, although this perspective holds substance, free provisioning could lead to numerous complications. There is a great likelihood that such an arrangement will result in misuse and wastage; when one does not have to pay for something, they tend to ignore its value and take it for granted. For instance, wherever such a system has been adopted, households have started regarding it as a free gift of nature and do not feel motivated to preserve it.
Additionally, clean water infrastructure needs constant maintenance and upgradation, and facilitating free supply will make it hard for water authorities to raise funds for carrying out these tasks, and slowly the quality of water will deteriorate bringing the situation back to square one, and exposing the larger population to serious health risks.
In hindsight, implementing this system could prove to be a recipe for disaster owing to challenges it presents; thus, it will be feasible to supply free drinkable water only to the destitute: the most vulnerable sections of society.
