Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke about the possibility of water price increases during a radio interview. The prime minister made it clear that he is not talking about an increase in the price of water at low consumption levels. “We are not going for increases in water. Water is and will remain cheap for low consumption. It makes sense that if you consume more you pay more. The maximum we are discussing is an increase at the inflationary limits,” he said.
“Attica is not facing a water scarcity problem. We had two bad winters. This water we have can handle four more bad winters. We will proceed with a water transfer project from the artificial lake of Kremasta so that we can be sure that Attica will never face a water shortage problem,” Mitsotakis continued.
On the islands, the Prime Minister noted that “we need a better coordination policy so that each island does not make its own policy but it is centralized. And we are talking about water supply and not irrigation,” noting that “85% of the water consumed goes to agriculture and to a small extent to livestock farming. It is a question of how to ensure that we have water for irrigation without leakages and how to implement the use of technology.”
Amiras: Tariffs will remain affordable for water
Water remains a public good and tariffs will remain affordable to cover all the living needs of the average household, Panos Amyras, Director General of Press and Information of the Prime Minister’s Office, told ERTNews.
Water management and the issue of pricing will not only remain under public control but will also be approved by an independent water regulator, he said, noting that water should be treated as a public good but not in abundance. There are special provisions for social tariffs relating to vulnerable households, those with three or more children.