Who Should Pay the Cost of Fresh Water?
You might think that since fresh water is more valuable than diamonds, there’d be no need to price it. You’d be wrong. “Free” or subsidized water is bound to be wasted, according to most experts. Why bother fixing the leaky faucet if that would cost more than you’d save? Why buy better irrigation technology if it won’t save you money? No reason. And that’s why we hear so many suggestions that water users must pay the price. Easier said than done, in many cases. Sandra Postel, who has studied water policy for many years, observes, “Most water in developing countries, especially in agriculture, is not metered, and you can’t charge for volume unless you have a way to measure it.” She suggests that rationing or better technology could encourage more efficient use where water cannot be metered. High-pressure irrigation of crops is more efficient than furrow irrigation, but not as efficient as low-pressure irrigation. Courtesy Dorchester County Cooperative Extension The subsidies are “most d
