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

Image of Water Issues
Image of Water Issues
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Prosperous Areas – Abundant water for spraying in & around bungalows – if shortage is there – immediate water tanks are made available
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Other Areas – Borewell water (brackish – not potable) – water purification systems
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Further other Areas – People get bottled water – water once in 4 days
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Slums – common tap (water available for 20 minutes – twice a day – maximum limit per family is 3 buckets) and common toilets – long hours for water
Water as Fundamental Right
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Essential for life
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Safe drinking water – prevent water related diseases
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About 1600 child below 5 years die everyday because of water related diseases
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Constitution of India recognises the right to water as being a part of the Right to Life under Article 21
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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

Image of Public Facilities
Image of Public Facilities
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Healthcare
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Sanitation -68% households in India have access to drinking water & 36% have access to sanitation
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Electricity
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Public Transport – Buses to metros (Rs. 11,000 crore in Delhi), Mumbai Suburb – 65 lakh passengers commute daily
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School and Colleges
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Benefits can be shared by many people
Government’S Role
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Someone to carry responsibility to provide it to people – Government
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Private companies operate for profit - Chapter “Story of Shirt” in Class 7
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Water tanks by private companies - private companies provide public facilities but at a price that only some people can afford
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Those who can’t pay will be deprived – Govt. takes care
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Central Govt. spends on interest, defence, subsidy, economic services, social services, grants, police etc.
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Budget is presented in Parliament – expense of government & how much it plans to spend
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Sources of revenue – comes from taxes, charges of water price
Water Supply
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Closer areas – more water
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Far areas – lesser water
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Municipal supply meets only half of the need
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Shortfall burden- falls on poor
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Middle Class – dig Borewell, buy bottled water, buy tankers
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Universal access to ‘sufficient and safe’ water
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Water coming to urban areas from nearby places – ground water levels have dropped in nearby places
Water Alternatives
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Water is increasingly being filled by an expansion of private companies who are selling water for profit
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Great inequalities in water use
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Supply of water/person in urban area – 135 l/day (about seven buckets) as by Urban Water Commission in India – for slums it is less than 20 l/day (one bucket) & for luxury hotels it is 1,600 l/day (80 buckets).
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Shortage of municipal water – sign of govt. failure
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There are areas in the world where public water supply has achieved universal access - Porto Alegre, Brazil – lower infant deaths – average price is low & poor is charged at half the rate – working of department is transparent and they vote on priorities
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Water handed to private companies witnessed huge rise in price – protests in Bolivia
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Water department in Mumbai raises enough money through water charges to cover its expenses on supplying water
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Hyderabad – increased coverage & performance in revenue collection
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Chennai – initiates for rainwater harvesting – used service of private companies to operate – on contract
Sanitation

Image of Sanitation Development Goals
Image of Sanitation Development Goals
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Sulabh, NGO for 3 decades - to address the problems of sanitation facing low-caste, low-income people in India.
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Constructed more than 7,500 public toilet blocks and 1.2 million private toilets, giving access to sanitation to 10 million people.
Conclusions!
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Poor localities are underserved
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Handing over to private companies might not be a solution
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Provide rights on equitable manner
-Mayank