As the author writes himself, in most cases the water tarifs are what they are (despite not covering costs) for good reasons. These reasons might be multilayered and not entirely obvious to the outside researcher, but attempts to overhaul such systems usually fail.

If in fact the government is subsidizing the extra costs and there is an excess consumption due to low price, then it is probably better to encurage water savings through means like tax credits or so. Basically any positive incentive will do, which the same time is cost neutral to the government due to reduced need for subsidy.

“In reality, leaving no one behind cannot be achieved sustainably in the region if the perception of water value stays the same” - Says Mahmoud Tabaqchali in his Oped.

Read it here

Let us know what YOU THINK?