The heat has been pressing for weeks and with the high temperatures the consumption of water in homes also rises. Whether it's to stay hydrated or to take a nice cold shower to cool off, the higher consumption also implies an increase in the bill. Something that can be a concern, greater or lesser, depending on the city in which you live.
The Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) has carried out a study in which it compares the price of tap water in different cities of the country. The investigation reflects large differences, up to more than 300 euros, for the same volume of water consumed. Barcelona is the city with the highest cost, where an average household pays 520 euros for water per year, compared to the 164 that one in Guadalajara pays.
The research has analyzed the water bill in 54 Spanish cities for an annual consumption of 175 cubic meters, which is equivalent to an average household of three or four people. The great disparity in tariff policies entails, according to the OCU, the "huge differences in prices for the same consumption".
The ranking of the most expensive is headed by Barcelona, with a cost of 520 euros per year. They are followed by Murcia (495 euros), Alicante (490), Palma (460), Huelva (449), Lleida (442), Tarragona (435), Cádiz (434) and Bilbao (411). These nine cities are those that exceed 400 euros on average, and that represent an amount that doubles or triples that paid by residents in other places.
Among the cheapest are Guadalajara, where the price is 164 euros per year, Palencia (166), Orense (180), Melilla (182), Soria (196), Ávila (199), Burgos (204) and San Sebastián (206).
The OCU acknowledges that the cities of the Mediterranean basin face supply difficulties that justify part of the higher prices, but stresses that the high bill is also due to an "unjustifiable" rise in sanitation costs and "too high" fixed costs " in some cities.
The high fixed costs are due to the fact that the municipalities choose to cover a considerable part of the service costs with them. This practice, indicates the organization, does not encourage water saving and penalizes homes that are not used all year round. The fixed part of the bill, which does not depend on water consumption, exceeds 150 euros per year in Vigo, Tarragona, Ceuta and Barcelona. In Valladolid, Guadalajara, Badajoz or Malaga it is just over 20 euros per year.
The OCU also regrets that discounts for low-income groups do not exist in all cities and that, if they do, the savings they represent are not really significant. In the Catalan capital, for example, a low-income household that has obtained a 29% discount continues to pay the high amount of 369 euros for 175 cubic meters per year, more than double that of Guadalajara, where there is no discount.
Likewise, the entity defends that the price differences are explained "by very complex tariff systems for the supply of water", with between two and eight different blocks depending on consumption, "and very disparate". For all these reasons, he demands to promote a "harmonization" of municipal water rates and "penalize" excessive water consumption given the serious situation of drought.
