Water

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Water is one of the essential needs for the survival of the human being. The increase of water bills means that the citizens are being denied their full rights of acquisition of a basic need. Residents of California City were not happy with the increase in water bills in April. Mayor Ashley was shocked because of the increase in water bills in California. The water system had witnessed advance changes which affected the city and all its activities. The increase in water bills meant that the city dwellers had to adapt to a new lifestyle as they also deal with increased rate of inflation. 
The price of water in Fresno was the lowest across the entire Western United States.  However, according to the Mayor the water was more than enough to cater for the needs of the people. On the other hand, in California people were fighting for the installation of water meters in the city. Although, there was an increase in water cost some of the families did not have water meters for them to know how they consumed the water. They did the meters so as to measure their consumption levels and pay the exact cash which they were supposed to pay (Schwartz 1). 
Cities had to invest more in the water sectors because of what Santa faced 15 years ago.  There was a drought which influenced the functionality of some of the areas in the city because they did not have enough water to fight fires.  However, Santa Fe did not put into consideration the rights of the people he raised the basic cost of water, and the heaviest users of water were charged more.  Santa Fe pointed that increasing the cost of water to those who consumed more was not new other major cities also experienced the same situation. Hence, the citizens had to adjust to cope up with the situation. However, the manager of water resources and conservation Rick Carpenter opposed the move and said that it was a big wake-up call.  Additionally, most people claimed that there was a need to check on the prices of water because it was an essential need (Schwartz 1). 
Santa Fe wanted other cites to move from the idea that water should be cheap for everybody because it is very essential to life. All the costs involved should be included in the consumption system to ensure that people use the available water responsibly. However, the poor and the less privileged members in the society should also have equal opportunities to access water because it is very essential to life. Water being an essential commodity should be available for every member of the society (Schwartz 2). 
In conclusion, the government and all the water bodies involved should look for ways to ensure that every person gets access to water. The government may incur cost in the installation of water meters in every household, but they should be ready to incur the cost so that individuals can manage their water consumption habits. They should also ensure that water is available at all times and come up with ways of increasing the water to avoid situations such as lack of water during drought. The government should also balance water pricing with the inflation rate and take up precautions. Although, there is a need for economic growth in a city they should consider subsidizing prices of essential needs such as water. 
 

Work cited
Schwartz, Nelson D. "Water Pricing in Two Thirsty Cities: In One, Guzzlers Pay More, and Use Less." The New York Times (2015): 1-2.