Feb 2007-Turbulent waters-Editorial-OPINION-The Times of India

Turbulent waters-Editorial-OPINION-The Times of India: "

The UK government imposed strict regulation on water companies, but leaks continue to plague the system and prices rise at an annual rate of 8.5 per cent.The combined profits of water companies are predicted at two billion pounds. The Daily Mail observed that every warning issued by critics of water privatisation was coming true.Developed countries are now looking at water utilities in a different light. The Canadian city of Hamilton ended 10 years of private supply due to issues of quality, price and pollution control standards.The new public provider recently announced savings of $1.2 million and has been congratulated for improvement in its service.The Netherlands passed a constitutional amendment preventing any privately-owned company from providing drinking water services to the public in 2004. Ninety-five per cent of drinking water in the world is provided without private involvement.Does India's water supply need multinationals? Whether it is water or any other essential service, it is the role of the state to manage its finances well and distribute resources in order to benefit all. To see such issues in terms of cost recovery of individual departments is to miss this basic point.

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