According to DECO data, the pit in water prices in different municipalities has aggravated again, reaching 210 euros per year by the same consumption.
The difference in the cost of water invoice among the most expensive and cheapest Portuguese municipalities reached 210 euros in 2024according to a study by Deco Proteste. The entity appeals to more consistent government measures and greater regulator intervention to reduce these discrepancies.
According to the data released, the inhabitants of Moita were the ones who paid the least for water last year, with an annual invoice of 43.75 euros for a consumption of 120 cubic meters, in an aggregate that is not eligible for the social tariff or for the Numerous families rate. In contrast, the families of Carregal do Sal, Tondela, Mortágua, Santa Comba Dão and Tábua had a cost of 254.29 euros by the same consumption.
Deco Proteste stresses that inequality in the cost of water has been increasing, with the difference between the cheapest and most expensive municipalities growing seven euros since 2022when the discrepancy was 203.42 euros.
Municipalities with the highest rates include Santa Maria da Feira, Oliveira de Azeméis and Ourém, while the most economical, besides the thicket, are Terras de Bouro, Barrancos, Castro Daire and Alcácer do Sal.
The study focuses only on the water supply service, excluding sanitation costs and waste treatment. Given these disparities, Deco Proteste has defended the implementation of harmonized tariffs At national level, ensuring that all citizens have access to affordable prices.
The Consumer Protection Association considers an essential reinforcement of sector regulation To avoid worsening these differences and ensuring that access to water, an essential good, is equitable throughout the national territory.
DECO data also appear shortly after a decree-law has given the water and waste regulating entity (Ersar) the binding power over water tariffs.
Ersar has already publicly expressed that it supports the creation of different tariffs taking into account the amount of water in each region, which can aggravate discrepancies. “At different costs must correspond to different prices,” he argues.
However, the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities (ANMP) argues that tariffs must reflect the economic reality of each territorysuggesting mechanisms of solidarity between systems to avoid excessive charges in less favored regions.
