Mandatory water meters: to be or not to be?

The PMR Supreme Council is discussing the necessity of water meters installation for each consumer of the republic. The creation of a state target program, incentives for subscribers to switch to water meters and a possible change in tariffs for those who refuse to install water meters were discussed at a workshop. The leadership of the State Unitary Enterprise "Water Supply and Sanitation" and representatives of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic were invited for participation.

According to the estimates of the specialists of the State Unitary Enterprise "Water supply and sanitation", about 55 million rubles are needed for the purchase, installation, replacement and maintenance of meters in apartments, another 11.5 million – for the installation of well-type metering devices in the private sector of the republic at present.

The speaker suggested discussing the concept of how the state can and should act together with public utilities. After expressing various points of view, the decision was made to switch to water consumption with water meters, it is necessary, first of all in order for the entire population of the republic, to ensure their installation in the private sector - where water is used not only for domestic needs, but also for irrigation .

The speaker considers that it is necessary to determine the order of providing settlements with meters in the state target program. It is better to do this at the suggestion of the Ministry of Economic Development, starting from the southern regions of Pridnestrovie, where water consumption for irrigation is used more. It is necessary to make sure that public utilities work in the settlement, immediately providing all its subscribers with water metering devices. This will save time and optimize utility costs for the necessary fuel and other associated costs.

The deputies who took part in the workshop were interested in the nuances that should be reflected in the future state target program in their opinion. For example, parliamentarian Vadim Levitsky proposes to clearly define who will be responsible for paying for the installation of a water consumption meter – at a utility company that provides this service to the population, or still at the consumer. Alexander Korshunov considers that it is necessary by law to prescribe the obligatory use of water meters to the subscriber, and the obligatory maintenance of these water meters to public utilities.

A quarter of all consumers in the country do not have water meters. Many of these 25% of subscribers are categorically against the installation of meters, arguing that it is "not profitable" for them. We are talking about apartments in which one person is officially registered or no one is registered at all, but a family of three or four lives. They agreed in the course of the working meeting that it is necessary to think over a system of motivation for the transition from standard to instrumental water consumption. One of the levers of influence is financial.

One of the examples that was given in the water utility. Now a family of four living in an apartment with water meters pays about 235 rubles for water consumption within the framework of the social norm. The same family of 4 pays about 255 rubles without a meter. Such an approach according to public utilities does not encourage the installation of water meters. State Unitary Enterprise "Water Supply and Sanitation" proposes to consider a system of benefits and the so-called two-tier tariff – for subscribers with and without water meters.

Everything will remain unchanged for those who have water meters installed. With the exception of payment for water consumed in excess of the norm, an economically justified tariff will be applied to it. This will draw the attention of consumers to the need to save resources. As for subscribers without water meters, they will have to pay for water at an economically justified rate and not enjoy benefits, according to the State Unitary Enterprise "Water Supply and Sanitation". Public utilities have calculated that the difference for a family of four living in an apartment without water meters will be more than 200 rubles a month. The population must be given the opportunity to install water meters before using this approach, Speaker Alexander Korshunov considers. It is necessary to draw up a schedule for the transition to water metering devices to do this. First of all – are preferential categories.

The calculations that were carried out in the State Unitary Enterprise "Water supply and sanitation" will be submitted for consideration to the working group operating in the PMR Supreme Council. The proposed two-tier tariff is just one of the scenarios, the speaker considers. Meetings on this topic will continue.