Why does water have to cost anything at all—is it not a basic human right?
It is a basic human right, and anybody can go to a river, or spring, or lake and use that water for free. ADB does not advocate that these natural resources be inaccessible and commercialized. It costs a lot of money, however, to take water from these resources, transfer it to a treatment plant, treat it, and distribute it through a piped network system to homes, business and industries. Who should pay for all that? Furthermore, it costs to bill for the water, maintain those pipes, and expand those piped networks as a city grows. Current water tariffs in Dhaka do not effectively cover the basic costs of operating and maintaining such a system—a major reason why Dhaka is experiencing such serious problems with water quality and quantity. When everyone is paying a fair and affordable rate for their water services, DWASA can operate more efficiently and effectively. Ultimately, tariffs stabilize and good water services save people time and money. The poor benefit in particular by having a
