Water price ‘should rise by 30 percent’: expert

13 November 2006

BARCELONA — Spaniards should pay 30 percent more for their water to cover the expense of damage which was being done to the environment, an expert said on Monday.

Josefina Maestu, an expert from the environment ministry, said water was been over-exploited in Spain but at the same time people were not paying enough for this precious resource.

Spaniards pay on average EUR 34 for their mobile phones per person every month and only EUR 14 for water.

Maestu was speaking at a two-day hydrology  conference in Barcelona on how to guarantee water quality.

She said: “The current price does not cover the cost to the environment which each time affects us more.

“And it is not enough to guarantee European standards of water quality.”

Maestu said the decision to raise the price of water would not be popular.

However, she added “taking action will cost, but not taking action will cost more”.

She admitted it was hard to quantify the cost of the exploitation of water in Spain.

Antonio Serrano, secretary general for environment, said in Spain water was “not a grave problem but you need to rationalise” its control because resources are declining.

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news