Public Water and Private Access: a Critical Enquiry

Public investment in drinking water sector is an uneconomic investment in India. The Dublin Principle, World Bank‘s drinking water supply funding and neo-liberal policy of the government, are gradually transforming the access to State-funded drinking water into an economic good. It has become one of the government support service with user-fee rather than a development support based on merit good approach. Unlike other sectors, privatization in the drinking water sector is a gradual process, and the biggest challenge is the public perception towards drinking water. This paper is based on the experience of Kerala, one of the States of India, known for its success in high human development with less per capita income. Kerala model of development has even got an international fame; however, the success of the model does not reflect on the case of providing public-funded drinking water in the rural area and street taps. The State-funded drinking water supply is increasingly concentrating on the urban sector, and the public drinking water supplies in other sectors are considered as a private good. This transformation poses many critical questions to the larger idea of development, drinking water and poverty. This paper discusses this issue in detail.