Ireland has officially become the European country with the cheapest water with Denmark having the most expensive water. This is because most European countries charge on basis of amount of water used instead of flat-rate charges. The new maximum for a single adult home will be 160 euros and 260 euros for a multi-adult household.
I think that this is extremely foolish and encourages wasteful water usage. Water is an extremely precious resource and putting a maximum price on it, no matter how much they use, is dangerous. This could lead to wasteful habits and lack of care for the environment. Although cheap water is good, I think that households should be billed based on how much water they use. penalized for over-using, and rewarded for conserving.
Water is definitely a common resource and I agree you that by charging different amounts, and less for water in certain places it may encourage more water use. Do you think it will effect the economy?
well you have a point, and I get where you are coming from as a Californian but what you need to realize is that much of Europe gets plenty of water. Great Britten gets almost constant rain during the winter and a decent amount in the summer as well. In their case water resources are probably one of the least strained resources.
I agree with you Claire, and I believe that water should be precious in every country of the world because there is only a finite freshwater supply. I believe that it should remain pricey, so that the resource will not get depleted quickly.
Interesting read. I’m curious to know more about the statistics of both of these country’s water usage to see the effect cost plays on usage.