NCERT Class 8 Political Science Chapter 9: Public Facilities YouTube Lecture Handouts
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NCERT Class 8 Political Science/Polity/Civics Chapter 9: Public Facilities
Water Issues
- Prosperous Areas β Abundant water for spraying in & around bungalows β if shortage is there β immediate water tanks are made available
- Other Areas β Borewell water (brackish β not potable) β water purification systems
- Further other Areas β People get bottled water β water once in 4 days
- Slums β common tap (water available for 20 minutes β twice a day β maximum limit per family is 3 buckets) and common toilets β long hours for water
Water as Fundamental Right
- Essential for life
- Safe drinking water β prevent water related diseases
- About 1600 child below 5 years die every day because of water related diseases
- Constitution of India recognises the right to water as being a part of the Right to Life under Article 21
- 2007: Andhra Pradesh High Court - hearing a case based on a letter written by a villager of Mahabubnagar district on the contamination of drinking water by a textile company that was discharging poisonous chemicals into a stream near his village (Collector ordered to supply 25 liters of water to each person)
Public Facilities
- Healthcare
- Sanitation -68% households in India have access to drinking water & 36% have access to sanitation
- Electricity
- Public Transport β Buses to metros (βΉ 11,000 crores in Delhi) , Mumbai Suburb β 65 lakh passengers commute daily
- School and Colleges
- Benefits can be shared by many people
GovernmentΥs Role
- Someone to carry responsibility to provide it to people β Government
- Private companies operate for profit - Chapter βStory of Shirtβ in Class 7
- Water tanks by private companies - private companies provide public facilities but at a price that only some people can afford
- Those who canΥt pay will be deprived β Govt. takes care
- Central Govt. spends on interest, defense, subsidy, economic services, social services, grants, police etc.
- Budget is presented in Parliament β expense of government & how much it plans to spend
- Sources of revenue β comes from taxes, charges of water price
Water Supply
- Closer areas β more water
- Far areas β lesser water
- Municipal supply meets only half of the need
- Shortfall burden- falls on poor
- Middle Class β dig Borewell, buy bottled water, buy tankers
- Universal access to βsufficient and safeβ water
- Water coming to urban areas from nearby places β ground water levels have dropped in nearby places
Water Alternatives
- Water is increasingly being filled by an expansion of private companies who are selling water for profit
- Great inequalities in water use
- Supply of water/person in urban area β 135 l/day (about seven buckets) as by Urban Water Commission in India β for slums it is less than 20 l/day (one bucket) & for luxury hotels it is 1,600 l/day (80 buckets) .
- Shortage of municipal water β sign of govt. failure
- There are areas in the world where public water supply has achieved universal access - Porto Alegre, Brazil β lower infant deaths β average price is low & poor is charged at half the rate β working of department is transparent and they vote on priorities
- Water handed to private companies witnessed huge rise in price β protests in Bolivia
- Water department in Mumbai raises enough money through water charges to cover its expenses on supplying water
- Hyderabad β increased coverage & performance in revenue collection
- Chennai β initiates for rainwater harvesting β used service of private companies to operate β on contract
Sanitation
- Sulabh, NGO for 3 decades - to address the problems of sanitation facing low-caste, low-income people in India.
- Constructed more than 7,500 public toilet blocks and 1.2 million private toilets, giving access to sanitation to 10 million people.
Conclusions!
- Poor localities are underserved
- Handing over to private companies might not be a solution
- Provide rights on equitable manner
β Mayank