The life of water

When we think of a water-starved city, the first thing that comes to mind is the unavailability of the natural resource. But there is much more at play. Who gets the water that is available? The taps do not run dry for the rich as often as they do for the poor. Access to resources like water is governed by multiple socio-economic factors that have been explained with great lucidity, narrative flair and humour in a short-film series titled Water Wars made by the 2019 Nobel laureate for economics Abhijit Banerjee (artistic concept, research and narration) and graphic novelist Sarnath Banerjee (drawings). The latest film of the three-part series—“Price of water”—was screened at India International Centre, Delhi, on August 7. Except the third film, the others are available for viewing on YouTube.

The series, created with support from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Center for Art, Science and Technology, US, explores the complex layers of exploiting water sources to make profits that only benefit a certain section of the society, while depriving and even dispossessing the most vulnerable and marginalised. The poor in many of India’s urban areas pay more for water than the well-off because of policy gaps that neglect their needs and identity.

In the films, while Abhijit adds historical contexts to these environmental crises, Sarnath’s illustrations make the narrative compelling, helping the viewer visualise the space ...

This review was originally published in the November 1-15, 2025 print edition of Down To Earth