2023-10-19 10:07:56
Margaux Fodéré / Photo credits: JUSTIN SULLIVAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP
According to the National Federation of Granting and Governed Communities (FNCCR), the price of water increased by 5.5% between 2022 and 2023. In certain cities, the increase even exceeds 15%, such as in the Bassin de l ‘Ardèche. The phenomenon is expected to increase in the coming years with climate change.
After fuel, energy and food shopping, water is also hit hard by inflation. In France, the price of water, including drinking water and sanitation, increased by around 5.5% on average between 2022 and 2023, according to the National Federation of Granting and Governed Communities (FNCCR). In certain municipalities, the price of drinking water has even increased by more than 15%, as in the Ardèche Basin.
“The biggest budget in the city” in energy
This surge in bills is a consequence, among many others, of the rise in energy costs, essential to the operation of water treatment plants. “There was an additional cost. I take the example of the sanitation station, it is our biggest energy budget in the city,” explains Diana Lefeuvre, deputy mayor of the city. That’s not all: energy inflation also increases the price of chemicals used to purify or treat water.
Transport chemicals
These substances often come from far away and must therefore be transported to France: “These reagents have generally increased by 50%. This is a consequence of the increase in energy prices and then transport costs. example, activated carbons are largely manufactured either in China or in Australia”, recalls Régis Taisne, head of the water cycle department at the FNCCR, an association of local authorities.
The price of water could well continue to increase in the coming years: with global warming, pipes will have to be lengthened to fetch water further away or treat more polluted water. Additional costs which will inevitably weigh on the bill.
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