Water Conservation: Why The Cost Of Water Should Be Increased
Water, a necessity for all living things to survive. So why is it that this valuable resource is so inexpensive? It is easy to take advantage of a resource that you believe has no limitation. As of recently, the water shortage crisis is soon going to turn into a constant drought throughout the world in places like England, Iran, China, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Egypt, etc. Our lack of appreciation for such an indispensable item is going to be our downfall. Because of water's low-costs, we consume it faster than it is produced. Including price structures will help in conserving water. To help restrain us from the overbearing amount of water we use everyday, water should be priced higher and based on the income of each household.
To price water higher means those that are poverty-stricken would not be able to gain access to water due to their ongoing financial issues. But what if we price water based on each households income. The benefit to Increasing the cost of water is the conservation that comes from it. Because of the higher costs of water people will have incentive to conserve water based on the fact that they would then consume less water and only the amount they really need. Due to conservation, pollution will decrease because we will have less human waste contaminating the water. One way that we can help to increase the price of water is through seasonal rates. Using seasonal rates will cause water prices to rise or fall based on the weather conditions and the demand for water that corresponds.
In addition to pollution, agriculture has also been a cause of our water shortages. According to the World Wildlife Fund, our crops use about 70% of the world's water but sadly the majority of it falls through leaky pipes. This leads to rivers and lakes being dried out. Not only does agriculture waste a lot of the world's water but also encourages pollution by means of pesticides and fertilizers. Another way to prevent this is through time of day pricing. Time of day pricing is a way of charging higher for water during periods where demand in utilities are at its peak. Electricity is seen as a necessity unlike water, and time of day pricing has been a main component to the way that it is priced and there has so far been no complaints. It is often cheaper late at night or early in the morning because these are the typical hours when not as many people are using electricity. This helps to use less electricity during the day and to spread out the amount one uses in a day, so who’s to say this won't work with the pricing of water.
The World Wildlife Fund notes that in the past 50 years, the human population has significantly increased. This fast growth has changed the way we share water around the world and results in a huge loss of the variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem. We use water at an unsettling rate leading to the concern in the depletion of water and its link to the decrease in water availability. As more and more people come into the US more water will be needed for everyone and at this rate we will have used it all up before it has time to fill out. Due to excessive consumption of water we could price water using a different method called water surcharges. Water surcharges, in simple terms, are cost added to your utility bills that can later protect the budget of water that is given to the community in the time of a drought. In addition, water surcharges can benefit us by being able to fund and set aside places for special use when necessary and for future demands.
All things considered, water should be priced higher to help conserve water, reduce pollution, and help us in the future to live long and happy lives. Three methods to aid in water preservation are seasonal rates, time of day pricing, and water surcharges. These all are effective and beneficial when it comes to conserving water which is something we need to start doing now. Throughout the world there has been a decrease in water production, but our consumption and waste of water has yet to change. The main controversy that it brought up when speaking on the increase in the price of water is, will the poor be able to afford it? This is why we price water based on income so we don't take away any persons basic human right and or need.
