Right for access to protected water supply for citizens in any country is fundamental to the working of a responsible government and globally many countries are failing miserably in this vital area causing miseries all around. Over exploitation of ground water and effect of man-made environmental disasters are progressively reducing availability of potable water in many towns and cities in India and several other countries. Daily water supplies is a dream many people nurture with little chance of realization in their life times. Experts point out that a human tragedy of Himalayan proportion, waiting to happen sooner or later, can be avoided only if human beings are sensitized to the critical importance of water and voluntarily act to minimize consumption combined with avoiding unnecessary wastage. World Bank advocates "pricing" of water sufficiently to recover at least the cost while individually many countries have already raised the cost of water to their citizens to unheard levels.
Fresh water prices in Denmark are the highest in the world, according to a survey by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). While the Danish water suppliers claim the high prices are good for the environment, the food and agriculture industries are finding the costs hard to bear. According to the Copenhagen Post, the survey of water prices across 20 Western nations revealed Denmark to be by far the most expensive. With prices of USD 6.7 per cubic metre, Danish water costs almost one dollar more per measure than in second-placed Scotland, and USD 6.20 more than in Mexico, the cheapest of the bunch. Head of the Danish water and wastewater supply association (DANVA) Carl-Emil Larsen, however, claimed that Denmark has long-standing policy that all costs related to fresh water and wastewater disposal should be paid by the consumer. "They don't do that in countries like Italy," he said.
In India most rural water supply schemes do not recover any cost incurred in setting up bore wells and supply line which any how cannot be called a protected water supply. But in urban areas house-hold water supplied is generally "priced" to recover the input expenditure though most water supply boards are running under loss. Citizens may be willing to pay any reasonable price for water supplied, provided the quality, quantity and safety are guaranteed. The huge bottled water industry sells water in bulk at about Rs 1000 per cubic meter and consumers are willingly paying this rate since they are convinced about their reliability. In many cities in India bulk supply of water of indifferent quality at Rs 100-150 per cubic meter is common. Probably if adequate investment is made to supply water of assured quality, citizens may not cringe paying a decent price for it.
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