Servicios de Abastecimiento y Saneamiento - La Tribuna del Agua

WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION SERVICES
Contracts that regulate service provision are always
beneficial for users, authorities and operators.
Transparent, fair, stable and adequate regulation
is a key factor in ensuring the success of any
form of management. The regulators will have different
functions in different countries, but they
should have clear missions that are independent
of the political powers-that-be.
It is necessary to clarify and respect the
role of each player involved in water management
and water supply and sanitation
services.
Users really need to have a good service at a
fair price and the mechanisms to satisfy the needs
of the users are the same whatever the type of
management. Therefore, the main debate should
not be centred on whether the management model
should be public, private or mixed, but on ensuring
the provision of a level of service that is
appropriate to each social and economic context
in terms of sustainability and to provide effective
guarantees to ensure management transparency
and control.
The authorities must firstly define the objectives
to be achieved and deadelines in which to
achieve them. Secondly, they should choose both
the appropriate media and the style of management
(public, private or mixed) according to local
circumstances. The organisation should evolve in
accordance with the actual evolution of the local
circumstances.
The new water cultures are going to be cultures
of greater co-responsibility between all players
involved in the water sector.
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POSITIONING DOCUMENT
What is important is not the public, private
or mixed model chosen for management
but that services are good and at an
adequate price.
Funding for Water Services
Local circumstances differ according to geo-
graphical conditions, economic development of
society and legal and political frameworks. Thus,
solutions to be applied will vary. Not all technical
solutions or management models will be applicable
to all situations.
One key objective for water and sanitation services
is to combine efficiency and cost. This principle
will benefit both the user and the investor
– public or private.
It is of no use to implement services
whose prices cannot be afforded by users.
Prices must be adapted to the specific circumstances
of each place.
Service costs for water and sanitation should
be completely recovered – something that is compatible
with solidarity through discrimination in
taxes according to the social circumstances or
through public subsidies. In general, the move
should be towards the recovery of costs even
though in developing countries extreme caution
must be exercised so that this cost recovery is not
counter-productive as an immediate objective.
Tax guidelines wherein the principle of the recovery
of the full cost and solidarity are developed
are the responsibility of authorities. A sustainable
cost recovery should allow:
• Each user should able to pay a price within
his capabilities.