Asian Perspectives on Water Policy and many such Books

Third world centre for water management

WATER- the most 'underpriced' resource

The Deputy Chairperson of Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, on Wednesday said

• Water is the most 'underpriced resource' of the country and called for setting up of a regulatory mechanism to ensure rational water use.
• Voicing concern over the increasing scarcity of water, Ahluwalia asserted there was an acute lack of awareness among people about sustainable usage of resources.
• "Water is the most seriously under-priced resource in the country. I mean if you were to do any kind of economic costing, many people are assuming that water itself has no value, that the only thing, the cost, is the cost of the pipe and the cost of collecting it," said Ahluwalia.
• "But water is becoming scarce. It has an opportunity cost," he added.

Ahluwalia further highlighted the need to

• Initiate and set up water regulation systems and institutions to prevent a possible disaster.

 "I mean, we should do better pricing of water. But actually, the prices that would be needed in order to bring about rational water use are far too high. So, it has to be some form of regulatory control. Even the legal basis for this regulatory control does not exist," he said.
 The issue of water remains a crucial flashpoint within India as well as with its neighbouring countries. For instance, India and Bangladesh continue to be at loggerheads over the distribution of water from the River Ganges that flows through both countries. (ANI)