Should Swachh Bharat include swachh paani?

For today's reporting, I walked up and down the platforms in Chennai Egmore station, doggedly testing the pipes to see if there was water. At first, I went around pressing each tap to see if it was working, but after five or six, I figured an easier way. I just had to check if the basin exactly under the pipe was wet. 

So the first time I figured this out, I went near a basin with a hand outstretched and half-pressed the tap, when I saw the wet floor of the basin. I was beginning to walk away, when a man who was standing nearby thought I didn't realize there was water in the tap. 

Swacch Bharat, but no swacch paani.

"Tanni irku, ma (there's water, ma)," he said. 

Of course, I went back and washed my hands. Well, hand-washing is good for you, isn't it?

In all, there were 60 taps, out of which only 24 had water. Most of the basins just didn't have taps at all. The officials I spoke to told me that the station actually relied on tanker lorries to for water. If there was a strike, then the taps would run dry. 

If this is the state of a government-run building, then it's no wonder that ordinary Chennaiites have it much worse. 

In fact, one of the passengers I was chatting with about why he preferred to pay for purified water rather than use the free filtered water was joined by his curious wife and she launched into a rant about how the water they got from Metrowater used to give her headaches and even had a worm in it once. 

Seeing all the kiosks selling purified water also made me think about how water's gone from being a freely available common resource to one for which we have to pay a premium. My family and I used to travel a lot by train when we were kids, but I remember my father insisting on filling water from the stations rather than buying packaged water. I don't ever remember falling sick because of drinking water from stations. In fact, I think it may have helped build immunity too. 

And it's a habit that's stuck with me. I absolutely hate paying for drinking water, and although it's unlikely, I'd hope we can reach a point where clean water is free again. 

The station was one of the cleaner ones I've visited. In fact, the cleaning staff was at it in earnest. When I spoke to one of the station masters, he said that it was because the government was especially focused on 'Swachh Bharat'. Apparently, a higher-up had come a few days ago and gave the officials here a rap after taking note of the dirty tracks. 

Aside: I remember reading a study that said that people are less likely to throw trash in a place that looks clean, rather than in an already dirty place. It's like a magnifying effect. 

Coming back to water, what are your thoughts? Should Swachh Bharat include swachh paani as well? Should drinking water be free or must we apply market economics to ensure that people don't misuse the commons?