If state governments had plans to charge consumers for the use of ground water, they have now received a boost from none other than Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself.

Speaking at a National Congress on Ground Water here, Singh deplored the system of providing free power to farmers and said the government could not continue to subsidise the economic and commercial use of water.

Advocating a holistic approach to water conservation, instead of subsidising it for economic and commercial use, he remarked: “Providing free power to farmers has encouraged excessive use of pump sets and excessive drawing of ground water. If there is economic pricing of power, there would be some incentive for conserving ground water.

“Water conservation and management could be better served through appropriate incentives and penalties,” Singh said adding, “We cannot continue to subsidise the economic and commercial use of water. There are related policies that must be corrected to ensure water conservation, especially ground water.” He added that if a price is put on water, there should be a reward for those engaged in its conservation.

“Water conservation and management can be done better through a package of incentives and penalties,” he suggested. On the supply of water at a subsidised rate, he said merely pricing water will not serve any purpose unless corrective measures are taken in related fields.

Pointing out that water was both a public and economic good, the PM said governments had to take both these properties into account while evolving water policies.

“The question before us is have we paid adequate attention to these principles and priorities since 1992? I am afraid we have not done so and we must make up for the lost time.”

Threat is real
Observing that human kind has not done enough to replenish, conserve and safeguard the sources of water supply, he said “on the contrary, given the threat of climate change and global warming, we face the real prospect of reduced supply of water.

This threat is of particular concern to us in India since we have, since times immemorial, depended on glaciers for our water supply in this part of our sub-continent.”