Direction for the following 7 (seven) items: Read the following five passages and answer the items (21-27) that follow. Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only.

Our urban bodies cannot possibly ensure sustainable delivery of water in our cities unless financing mechanisms are put in place. Water delivery requires heavy investment in collecting it from a natural source, treating it to make it potable, and laying a distribution network of pipes for delivery to the users. It also requires investments in sewerage infrastructure and sewage treatment plants so that the sewers can carry the wastewater to these plants to ensure that no untreated sewage is discharged back into natural water bodies. If our cities were rich enough to meet the entire cost, water could be delivered free. They are not.

With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:

1. Rich cities only can ensure sustainable delivery of water.

2. Sustainable delivery of water in cities means much more than supplying water to households.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

Correct Answer: 2 only

Let us analyze the given passage step-by-step to evaluate the validity of both assumptions:

Step 1: Understanding the Passage

The passage discusses the key components required for the sustainable delivery of water in cities. It emphasizes that supplying water requires heavy investment not only in collection, treatment, and distribution pipes, but also in sewerage infrastructure and sewage treatment plants to handle wastewater and prevent untreated sewage from discharging into natural water bodies. It concludes by noting that if cities were rich enough, water could be delivered for free, but they are not, hence financing mechanisms are necessary.

Step 2: Evaluating Assumption 1

Assumption 1: Rich cities only can ensure sustainable delivery of water.

The passage states that financing mechanisms are necessary because cities are not rich enough to supply water for free. It does not state that non-rich cities cannot ensure sustainable water delivery at all; rather, it implies that with proper financing mechanisms (charging for service, investments, etc.), sustainable delivery can be achieved. Thus, saying that only rich cities can ensure sustainable water delivery is an extreme and invalid assumption.

Step 3: Evaluating Assumption 2

Assumption 2: Sustainable delivery of water in cities means much more than supplying water to households.

The passage explicitly highlights that sustainable water delivery includes collection, treatment, distribution networks, sewerage infrastructure, and sewage treatment plants to protect natural water bodies. Therefore, sustainable water delivery encompasses the complete lifecycle of water management, which is indeed much more than merely supplying water to households. Hence, Assumption 2 is valid.

Conclusion:

Only Assumption 2 is valid, making 2 only the correct choice.