Okay, but then I could go, fetch the water and filter it myself.
I mean limited to households and monitored.
That is a point, why should I pay for the next door neighbour's plants to grow, why should I pay the same rate as a family. Some plants and trees are vital for converting the air and I get food from them. One day if I have a family the benefit will be there. If I don't that is too bad because in some places it is expensive due to privatisation. Raising the price seems to have raised these kinds questions. "I cannot afford this but sadly I have to think to what I can afford."
How can I compare water to gas to electricity. Okay they are services:
Gas has to be collected from certain parts, refined and transported.
Electricity has to be generated perhaps mostly from oil and gas in a power station. Until free or less consuming alternatives take over.
Water can be collected, filtered, cleaned and piped. Years ago someone said to me in their time, water was very cheap to afford, charged by the value of the house, all in a single price cleaning, piping, and seweage. Now they highered the price so high for profits when services were privatised in certain parts and now it seems that they make people believe an imaginery value that a certain amount of water is equivalent to this price.
Simply:
In certain parts, people paid for it to be cleaned, filtered, piped and maybe sewer bills.
Now they are proposing not to charge for the service of providing it as above, but charging it as a man made product. Charged as in quantity. "Because it is a service like electricity and gas in appearance, lets make it appear the same to charge people the same method."
People can be more cautious by using meters to cut down their usage but companies can still make profits behind people's backs except this time it affects their ability to pay. They could use excuses such as droughts to higher the price on the demand and not do anything about it whilst other companies can be selling it locally cheaper in drink bottles.
Yes maybe they could average the amount of water used up between everybody as the ration or a rationable amount to each person then charge more for excess. I asked about that years ago and they said it is unlikely to happen. Now some places are bringing out trickle supplies for people who refuse to pay.
Shoudn't water be free and respected at the same time?
Can you see my point of view?
This post has been edited by Deepsycher: 18 June 2006 - 08:29 PM