Incentives for water saving discussed

The new water strategy provides for incentives for people using less water, Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Dobromir Simidchiev said. This can be achieved through the introduction of double tariffs. Thus, there will be one price for a defined level of water consumption per person per month, and another, higher price, for levels of consumption above the defined. What this price will be is a matter of specific calculation. There are places in the world where there is even a five-level tariff, Simidchiev said.

According to him, the effects of this are not unambiguous. Water prices should be balanced carefully, since sometimes thefts increase and the effect is reduced. According to him, such thefts should be subject to prosecution. "I checked what the punishment is and it is up to five years in prison," said Simidchiev at the opening of the International Conference on Water Loss Reduction in Water Supply Systems. The Deputy Minister advised WSS-operators not to be afraid to bring water thieves to trial. According to him, they are very creative - they make bypasses or remove water metres. Some time ago, there was a proposal for the creation of a water police because of water thefts.

We are a rich country, we have two strategic advantages - water and fertile land, some of the most valuable resources, Minister of Environment and Water Nona Karadjova said at the opening of the Forum. An analysis of her ministry shows that Bulgaria has enough water even in the long run, but the problem is that it is not stored properly. Pipelines are in poor condition, much of the water flows out; there are technical solutions, but the most important thing is to start solving these problems gradually, Karadjova emphasised.

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