Sky-high bills for water “drown” villagers

Exorbitant water bills of 500 and even 1800 euros prompted residents of several villages in northern Greece to protest near the municipality responsible for the bills.

Residents of the community of Exalofos in Thessaloniki, which consists of two villages, Polidendri and Pentas Vryses, saw unrealistic amounts in their water bills due to exorbitant tariff increases. They reach between 500 and 1,800 euros, while citizens are asked to turn out their pockets, promising to turn off the water in case of non-payment, community president Pelagia Chrysantopoulou told the local news site GRTIMES.gr.

“This is an increase in ΔΕΥΑΛ [муниципальной компании водоснабжения] was adopted last year by the finance committee, and not by the municipal council at the suggestion of the company, said the president of the community. – Nobody ever informed us. We did not expect prices to rise from 333% to 1000%.”

The President of the community of Exalofu at the same time described that the exorbitant amounts of 500 to 1800 euros put the residents in a very difficult situation, since they cannot serve them, and admitted that she had already sent an urgent document to the competent authorities of the service, “in such a way that the price the policy was in line with what the Council of State determined.

The increase in ΔΕΥΑΛ water tariffs appears to have had a catalytic effect on the water company’s debt to the electricity company ΔΕΗ in the amount of 4,500,000 euros, Chrysantopoulou stressed. At the same time, she added that the ministry had decided to write off the debts of 38 public water supply companies, including ours. This removes another major reason why ΔΕΥΑΛ could increase prices from 333% to 1000%.

Protesting locals called the bills “paranoid”. An insulting increase in the price per cubic meter of water from 333.33% to 1000%. Offensive because the price increase starts from 333.33% (from 0.12 cents to 0.40 cents) and reaches 1000% (from 0.25 cents to 2.5 euros!). The calculation is made on a quarterly or annual basis, in which case the citizen is always charged the highest possible price, as this increases the level of the scale.

At a protest on Tuesday, local residents asked Mayor of Lagadas, Yiannis Tahmatzidis, to lower water prices, reintroduce tariff scales, bill quarterly, keep sewer fees at 35% as before, and immediately begin repairs and proper operation of the biological sewer treatment system. drains.

PS Don’t you think that in this way the population is being prepared for privatization of the state water supply system, under the pretext that if transferred to private hands, the system will work better and its services will become cheaper. After all, the method by which this happens is classical. And the results, judging by the example of Hellenic Train, may not be as rosy as they are broadcast apologists privatization.

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