They are preparing a water tariff reform. The first 1,000 litres will be free. Who will benefit from this?

Ministry of Infrastructure A draft amendment to the Collective Water Supply and Sewage Act is being prepared. The changes include: A revolution in the way water and sewage charges are calculated.

The first thousand liters (i.e. one cubic meter) will be free or at an agreed price of “one zloty”. In this way, the Ministry of Water Resources aims to promote water conservation and, to a certain extent, to provide free drinking water to households.

The rest of the article is below the video

According to the initial assumption, 1000 liters will meet the basic drinking water needs of every citizenWe hope that this proposal will be well received by Polish residents and local authorities and will contribute to greater water conservation. We must remember that our water resources are very scarce compared to Europe and we must jointly manage them wisely – explained Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Przemysław Koperski in an interview with Money.pl.

Why one thousand liters? – We want to provide everyone in our country with real, free or very cheap access to one of the most important needs of life – drinking water. However, the entire system must be tight. Let us remember that water companies invest in infrastructure. Therefore, the tariff should be progressive, and local governments will be able to set tariffs in a flexible way and in principle no longer depend on the decisions of Polish waters, the deputy minister added.

– This is certainly an incentive to conserve water, but this solution is unlikely to mean we won’t pay for it, because This must be extremely frugal. We estimate that the average monthly water consumption of Wrocław residents is 3 cubic meters (3,000 liters – editor’s note), said Martyna Bańcerek, spokeswoman for the Wrocław Municipal Water and Sewage Company.

However, commenting on the Ministry of Infrastructure’s thinking, he drew attention to a fundamental problem.

– We must remember that nothing is free. Bańcerek points out that if the first cubic meter is free, the price of subsequent cubic meters will be correspondingly higher, because the entire water treatment process costs money.

Paweł Sikorski, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce “Polish Water Works”, stressed that the announced solution Full cost recovery for water and sewerage companies must be included. – At the moment, it is not clear how the proposed proposals will be implemented, including who will bear the costs and which groups the discounts will cover, ”said the money.pl interlocutor.

Based on data analysis, the Chamber of Commerce pointed out that the average water consumption of recipients is significantly lower than in previous years. The process of saving money has been going on for years. The situation of chronic payment problems concerns only a very small number of beneficiaries, who are supported by institutions established for this purpose, including social welfare centers. In addition, in the existing legal system, in order to support community residents, they have the option of paying water supply subsidies – Sikorski added.

For years, there has been a conflict between local governments, the water and sewerage industry and the Polish Water Company over water and sewerage charges, which the water company has argued are necessary due to rising service prices. Polish Water State Water Holding However, it has so far been unwilling to agree to rate hikes or shorten the period for which tariffs remain in effect.

According to the draft bill, water and sewerage companies will submit draft new tariffs, along with their rationale, to the commune head, the mayor or municipal president, who will prepare recommendations for the commune council after formally examining the project. Ultimately, the Council will decide whether to approve or reject the tariffs.If any non-compliance is found.

The validity period of the established tariff shall not exceed 3 years. However, there will be no freedom. Water polish Intervention can only take place when the increase reaches at least 15%.

Will Wody Polskie be liquidated? – We will definitely end centralization. The competences regarding water charges will be returned to municipalities. The management of Polish waters has changed. “We will make a preliminary analysis in six months, at the end of the year we will have a general summary and then we can make a decision,” said Deputy Minister Kopeski.

The Ministry of Infrastructure hopes the bill will be introduced to the House of Representatives in the autumn.

Malwina Gadawa, money.pl reporter