Public Facilities

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In today’s world, water shortage is a significant issue. The rich people get access to municipal water regularly, and the water tankers are affordable and accessible to them. Many middle-class people have their own bore wells. Borewell water is not suitable for consumption, so they use water filters. Once a week they get tankers. They don’t have regular access to municipal water. The poor neither have access nor can afford regular and clean water supply.

Water as a part of the fundamental right to life:

Why is water an essential political concern?

Daily needs
availability of Safe and clean water
Good health- water-based diseases like diarrhea, dysentery, cholera are getting common in India.

India's constitutional laws for satisfying the above essentials for every citizen of India:

The Constitution of India recognizes water's right as a part of the Right to Life under Article 21 - establishes universal access. Ensure all people of the country irrespective of economic status to access water at an affordable cost to satisfy their daily needs. Both the high court and Supreme Court consider the right to water as a fundamental right to life.
In 2007, the Andhra Pradesh High Court held a case based on a letter written by a Mahabubnagar district's villager. The villager brought to light the contamination of drinking water in that letter. The villager complained that a textile company was discharging poisonous chemicals into the stream in his village. As a result, the groundwater was getting contaminated, which was the source of irrigation and drinking water. Thus, affecting the overall livelihood of the villagers. The judges lead the Mahbubnagar district collector to supply at least 25 liters of water to every individual in the village.

Public Facilities:

What are the public facilities?

Other than water, the public would need healthcare, sanitation, electricity, public transport, schools, and colleges. These are called public facilities.

Why is that the establishment of public facilities important?

A community can share it.

For Example:

School - establishments of government schools can make education accessible for the children in our community.
Electricity - establishing an electric power supply may facilitate the following:

Farmers can use more electricity-powered machines like a motor pump to irrigate their fields.
Students can get access to education through the internet only if electricity is accessible

The Government's role:

The Indian government is responsible for making public facilities available to all its citizens

Why is the government responsible?

If privatized, all the private organizations and companies only work for profit, and no company would be interested in investing in the public's sanitation or conducting free campaigns. Although the supply of water, education can be a place of interest for the private companies, which are already established in cities, consequence, they are not affordable for the needy.

How does the government afford it?

The government plans the yearly budget in the parliament meeting. The taxes collected from the citizens are the income of the government. To supply water, the government has to invest money to extract and transport water. The government charges the citizens a small percentage of their income as tax. Taxes are not liable for poor people. This money is used to enable everyone to get access to a regular and clean water supply.

Is water supply available to all?

There is a significant shortage of providing public facilities to everyone.
Shortage - Municipality satisfies approximately only half the water needs of the area.
Unequal access - Area nearer to the water storage points have better access to water than the farther ones.
Poverty - The poor are the ones who are the most affected. Whereas the middle class manages by digging bore wells, buying water from tankers, and using bottled water for drinking.
Availability of safe water - only a few can afford to have access to safe and clean water.
Taking water from farmers - The private companies, to satisfy the increasing water takes water from agricultural lands. Mostly from the villages nearby to metropolitan cities. The farmers are paid every month authorizing the company to exploit the water from their land. The problem is when private companies extract water from about 13,000 water tanks draining the water in that area. This doesn't only affect the farmers but the villagers altogether. As a result, Groundwater levels have dropped drastically

In Search of Alternatives:

Shortage of water during summers is common among most cities of India.
The private companies have taken over the water supply chains as the municipality fails to meet the needs.
According to the urban water commission, in cities, 135 liters (about 7 buckets) of water is consumed per person. In slums, the supply should be about 20 liters (one bucket) per person. At an equivalent time, hotels may consume about 1600 liters (about 80 buckets) per day.
A shortage of municipal water is usually considered a sign of failure of the government.

Throughout the planet water supply is done by the government. Very rarely taken over by private.

For Example: Porto Alegre, Brazil - The city water department has achieved universal water access.

The average price of water is low, and the poor are charged at half the basic rate.
The profit of the government is completely used for water supplies
The people get to have a say in the upcoming schemes and water projects.
The government is completely transparent about the steps taken by the water department.

There was a steep rise in the water rates when handed over to private companies. This has made it unaffordable for many.

For Example: In Bolivia, protests and riots broke when private companies were handed over the responsibility to supply water demanding the government to take over again.

MCQs

1. ____ has one of the largest number of cases of diseases such as diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera

(a) Japan

(b) India

(d) Pakistan

► (b) India

2. The burden of shortfalls in water supply falls mostly on the

(a) Poor

(b) Rich

(d) Lawyers

► (a) Poor

3. Which of the following is not the essential goods

(a) Sugar

(b) Car

(d) Food grains

► (b) Car

4. Which areas in Chennai faces severe water shortages?

(a) Madipakkam

(b) Mylapore

(d) All these areas

► (d) All these areas

5. How can we prevent water related diseases?

(a) By using pond water

(b) By using clean and safe water

(d) All of these

► (b) By using clean and safe water

6. Who carries the responsibility of providing public facility to the people?

(a) Government

(b) Public

(d) None of these

► (a) Government

7. What is the main sources of water?

(a) Municipal water

(b) Borewell

(d) All of these

► (d) All of these

8. Equity in the schooling facilities available to all children is an important aspect of

(a) Right to school

(b) Right to safety

(d) Right to life

► (c) Right to education

9. Right to ______ is a Fundamental Right.

(a) unhygienic drinking water

(b) safe drinking water

(d) drinking water

► (b) safe drinking water

10. Which of the following is most important public transport?

(a) Aeroplane

(b) Boat

(d) Cars

► (c) Buses

11. What are Public facilities?

(a) Essential facilities

(b) Non Essential facilities

(d) None of these

► (a) Essential facilities

12. Where from the government gets funds for providing Public facility?

(a) Income Tax collected from the people

(b) Fines collected from the people

(d) All of these

► (d) All of these

13. Which of the following is a water related disease?

(a) Plague

(b) Eye flu

(d) All of these

► (c) Cholera

14. Which facility, besides safe drinking water, is necessary to prevent water-borne disease?

(a) Sanitation

(b) Transport

(d) All of these

► (a) Sanitation

15. Public facilities are so important, someone must carry the responsibility of providing these to the people. This "someone" is the

(a) Government

(b) Court

(d) Judge

► (a) Government