Water Today, Air Tomorrow?

Equity analysts, newspapers, especially the pink papers, and the general public at large have been talking a lot of Water as the next big investment idea. In the last few days, I have received many calls from investment advisors and friends asking me to add stocks of companies in water or related areas to my portfolio.

That set me thinking. Wasn't water in the first place supposed to be for free? Isn't water a basic necessity for life on earth? Then how come this life saving commodity has turned into a great investment opportunity?

As in everything else, I found the answer in greed. Twenty years ago when I was in college, the concept of bottled water had just hit the market. We friends used to laugh at this concept and call the companies engaging in this business as fools.

I won't be too harsh on myself for then dismissing this idea as twenty years ago there was no cable television and our fathers did not have disposable incomes that could enable us to take off on European and American holidays every year or at least every alternate year. Isn't that the norm now?

Twenty years ago, which I would call the beginning of the era of unparalleled opportunism, we hadn't yet start mapping all successes in life with material possessions and gains. Hence, we never thought of water as the next big "opportunity".

We were wrong and how I wish that this one instance our judgment wasn't so off the mark. The reason: India as a country is already groaning under the weight of its own people. Hence, resources are scarce. Governments are talking about alleviating poverty and uplifting the "aam aadmi". Businesses are spouting gyan about coporate social responsibility or CSR.

And on the ground, these very politicians and businessmen are getting together to cash in on the next big thing, WATER. I have just one question: If governments can't ensure the supply of at least free potable water, forget food, for its people, then why should they be in power. If businessmen are trying to make their billions by capitalizing on people's thirst, how different are they from common criminals.

Many common criminals we may argue are driven to stealing by abject poverty. Agreed, but is that what is driving politicians and businessmen to sell water and fill their coffers? I say no. It's simple and plain GREED.

We as a people look up to politicians and businessmen with the vast power and wealth in their possession to help their fellow countrymen live a life of dignity. Is building water cartels and profiting from this unholy trade the way to serve people?

Politicians are meant to help the country grow, take the people forward, while businessmen are meant to help society enrich their lives even as they grow. However, when politicians and bussinessmen collude to benefit from the miseries of this very people, then forget 9.5% GDP growth, even 20% GDP growth will not lead to much change on the ground.

And after water, I believe AIR would be their next big opportunity even as they first parch the land and then quench your thirst for a few silvers. Don't be surprised if the government if not today but five years down the line says that India will need to import water to meet its needs. It's possible, if we as a nation can import wheat after a year of bumper in-house wheat production, anything is possible.

Now coming to Air. I may sound paranoid, but I have every reason to be and so should you be. What guarantees do we have that this politician-businessmen nexus would not pollute our environment to an extent that air in its normal form becomes a killer, unfit for human inhalation?

Then we will see business houses with their CSR spouting masters sitting in some part of Europe or America, sell oxygen tanks and gas masks, and launch millions of related businesses. They will open oxygen bars, already common in places such as Tokyo. Who knows, Oxygen could be the next big outsourcing opportunity. Only here, we would be procuring Oxygen. A huge outsourcing opportunity for th Western world.

The logic would be: those who can pay will live. The others will perish. An extremely efficient way of population control. What say friends?

I know people will say what's the use of writing? What are we going to do to counter this problem.

For starters, we can all decide not to buy bottled water. Promise to carry water bottles from home when we travel. Didn't all of us carry five-liter cans when we took long journeys not so long ago? So what's so wrong in doing so now? Promise to ensure that our vehicles are maintained well so that they do not add to the pollution. Promise to car pool, and wherever possible use public transport. Promise to use less polluting fuels like CNG, LPG over petrol and/or diesel. Promise to not smoke and for those with this habit, try and kick it.

Now, it's in our hands friends to defeat these opportunists who are trying to profit from human miseries. Maybe we can't prevent them from exercising their right to earn a decent livelihood. But we can at least not buy from them. They can only sell if they have a market for their products. Friends, it's time for noncooperation. Unfortunately, this time not against the British, but our very own.