pune the draft national water policy 2012 which favours privatisation of waterdelivery services suggests pricing of water to recover operation costs and administration of water projects released by the ministry of water resources recently it has evoked mixed responses from water experts in the city the union government had circulated the 15page draft and sought suggestions from water experts the first such policy was in 1987 followed by another was in 2002 the 2012 draft set clear priorities on water use according to water experts the policy is a clear push to privatisation where the government stopped being the service provider and communities and private sector are encouraged to play the role this they said will affect farmers the criteria for water charges based on volume the concept of public trust doctrine which recognised the fact that water is a public good and halting encroachments and diversion of water bodies and drainage channels and their restoration found appreciation citybased watershed management expert vijay paranjpye who has sent his observations to the ministry told toi that farmers will be affected if privatisation of water services is enforced private companies would want to make profits and would not be interested in social good he said the policy is an improvement the concept of the public trust doctrine is invoked for the first time recognising the fact that water is a public good the citizens are duty bound to protect and conserve it but not own or dispose it at will if implemented in letter and spirit it will do what the other two national water policies in 1987 and 2002 could not achieve he said according to him privatisation can come in where water services are provided the service cost is acceptable both for industry and hydro power the government should not move out as a serviceprovider to become a regulator the local selfgovernment cannot abdicate its duty the regulatory role can come handy only when water services are privatised and not for the water source he said paranjpye felt that if the cost of full pricing is adopted then water charge will increase substantially especially because it will cover inefficiency leakage and waste of water in the present system the policy suggests that it will curtail misuse of a precious but scarce resource he added the policy moots abolition of water subsidies to agricultural and domestic sectors but says subsidies and incentives should be provided to private industry for recycling and reusing treated effluents giving incentives to private industry means rewarding them for misusing and polluting water they should be made to pay for water treatment or pay full cost paranjpye chairman of gomukh environmental trust said he has suggested that 40 litres per capita per day for basic needs should be provided for the entire population free water consumed beyond 40 litres per capita per day lpcd up to 135 lpcd for normal comfort should be charged as per cost for making treated water available beyond 250 lpcd which becomes