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Report on drinking water affordability – Ecorys 

Rapport EcorysEcorys published the report Assessing Drinking Water Affordability in the EU: A Quantitative Approach which focuses on the economic aspects of water. The objective is to provide an analysis and reliable indicators for measuring drinking water affordability and therefore assess how much tariffs can be raised without impairing affordability. Two indicators are taken into account in the study: the affordability ratio (AR) which presents water bills as a share of free disposable income and hours of work at minimum wage (HM) required to pay for a monthly water bill.

Amongst its findings, the report highlights that “low free disposable income levels are responsible for limited affordability of water and sanitation services” and the issue is particularly striking in Eastern Europe. In addition several factors need to be determined such as how much water should a person be able to afford and  what expenditures are considered essential. This report comes just as the Drinking Water Directive is being reviewed and when water operators may need to make new investments to fulfil forthcoming legal obligations.

For more information or questions, you can contact J.I. Schellekens, Ecorys - joachim.schellekens@ecorys.com