User-Pays For Water A Failure

Right to Water has declared user-pays models for household water an obvious failure.

Watercare Services, the body that will provide water services in Auckland's 'Super City' has set up a panel to advise it on how to help people struggling to pay water bills.

"Watercare, and those advocating user-pays, need to admit that this panel is necessary because charging people for household water doesn't work," said Right to Water spokesperson, Maria McMillan.

"It comes as no surprise to us. Water is an essential service provided by a monopoly supplier. Charging for it is going to cause economic and social hardship. The user-pays model itself is the problem," said Ms McMillan.

"Let's forget about tinkering around the edges of a flawed system and go back to basics: uphold the fundamental human right to water, drop volumetric charging for water and waste water, and reject moves to involve private sector and associated mentality in its delivery," she said.

NZ Herald article reporting on advisory board: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/water/news/article.cfm?c_id=362&objectid=10596083

Right to Water website: www.righttowater.org.nz

ENDS

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