People around EU may soon have to pay for the water they use, a report confirmed recently. With the underground storage of water being dried up day by day and with increasing draught situation it was evident that this scarce commodity should definitely have been priced. EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas wants water to be treated as other natural resources like oil, gas and electricity. He wants to invoke a user – pay situation by the year 2010. According to the paper published,
The user-pays principle needs to become the rule, regardless of whether the water is taken from a tap, a river or an aquifer. Compulsory metering programs are thus essential.
With dramatic increment of draught situation in all over Europe, this may sound as a measure to force people considering water conservation. Unfortunately this should have adopted naturally in human civilization. But putting bans on various things like banning hose pipes in summer, and encouraging showers rather than baths are not sufficient to tackle water shortage. The main awareness is absent, and that is why the actual problem remains. To make situation worse, climate change and global warming has caused a severe draught condition all over European countries.
Access to water in sufficient quantity is fundamental to the daily lives of human beings and many economic activities. The major impacts of water scarcity and droughts are expected to be made worse by climate change
There are always arguments for and against this decision. Charging people for their water usage can not be a long term solution of the problem. Question arises whether they can charge industrial bodies also for their water use, as it will shoot up their pricing strategy to meet up the extra tax paid. The only solution that comes in mind is a mass awareness. Some rules can be followed to make the citizen aware of the present situation and help them install water saving structures so that the wastage can be reduced. People also suspect that this may encourage mineral water giants to give a boost to their already stable business. After Tony Mallet, a Briton by national,
Europe isn’t exactly short of rain, so come on. It’s about forcing water companies, which already make lots of money, to invest in their infrastructure.
Though it is not clear whether this proposal will get a clean cheat as there are points against it, but something of this kind is required not only in EU, but in all over the World. The reserved water stock is fast drying up, and change in climate, courtesy global warming is reducing the rate of rainfall, resulting to the shortage of water and severe draught condition all over the world. This is high time we start conserving water. Paying tax for the water used is not such a big issue, for years people are doing the same in various bars and dance clubs. What matters more is to make them aware of the situation so that they stop wasting water, and come out with new ways of conservation. Otherwise the time is not too far when a glass of drinking water would cost more than a human life. Lee Ober, bar manager from US told
Charging people or businesses is not the solution, or increasing their water bills, it’s about educating people such as taking a shower instead of a bath
Source: Reuters
