Whether citizens should be allowed to use fresh water freely or governments should put restrictions on the amount of fresh water citizens can have access to has gained traction. In my opinion, while each view has its merits, I agree that water usage should be regulated.
On the one hand, being able to use fresh, clean water is a human’s basic necessity. First, besides food, water is another fundamental contributing to human’s well-being. Therefore, if people were not to get an adequate amount of water to sustain basic activities such as hydrating themselves, cooking, and cleaning, their human rights would have been violated. Secondly, people have varying needs for water so restricting the amount of water used to an average number would be disadvantageous to those whose businesses involve heavy water usage, for example, people involved in farming activities.
On the other hand, introducing regulations on fresh water usage can have undeniable positive effects. Water is a scarce resource, so making it freely available can lead to depletion of fresh water and unequal distribution of water. As a matter of fact, water sources have been depleting in recent years due to global warming, droughts, and pollution. Consequently, if individuals are free to use water at their own discretion, it will lead to faster exhaustion of this rare resource. Another grave effect is that people in some countries who have difficult access to fresh water will have to receive less as people in other countries have used it extravagantly.
By and large, I opine that despite water being a common property, people should not be given unlimited usage of that resource, but should rather follow the government’s regulations and distribution.