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Murcia residents hit by steep water bill hikes as Alguazas approves 80% rise
Dozens of towns increase tariffs to plug deficits and cover rising service costs
Households across the Region of Murcia are facing noticeably higher water bills after a wave of tariff rises agreed in the last year and a half, with Alguazas standing out for an eye watering 80% increase. The new ordinance for drinking water, sewerage and connection charges was initially approved in April and, as no objections were lodged during the public consultation, has now been definitively ratified.In Alguazas, the Consumers’ Union of Spain (UCE) has blasted the 80% hike as “unjustified, disproportionate and contrary to the interests of the residents.” The mayor, José Gabriel García Bernabé, argues the ayuntamiento was left with little choice, describing a “difficult blow to manage” after a court ruling forced them to address a 2 million euro shortfall, with a further 1 million still outstanding. He says the tariff freeze since 2012, an expired contract since 2017 and a network that was only 47% efficient created “a huge debt and operating deficit” that the new prices are designed to eliminate from January.
García Bernabé maintains that in two years the service is close to being re tendered, debt coverage has risen to 70%, and investments in the network have already improved performance by 15 points. UCE’s lawyer, Juan José Gómez Conesa, strongly disagrees, insisting that “the cost generated by the lack of a new tender in a timely manner cannot be passed on to the citizen through the water bill.” He is calling for the immediate suspension of the rise, for the ayuntamiento to assume the legal costs itself, and for “fair and transparent prices, based only on the real and auditable costs of the service.” As UCE puts it, “Water is a basic necessity. Citizens cannot be punished twice for management errors.”
Alguazas is not alone. Campos del Río and Fuente Álamo have both seen rises of around 23%, while Jumilla, Yecla, Santomera, Abanilla, Puerto Lumbreras, Ulea, San Pedro del Pinatar and others have approved smaller, but still significant, increases. In Campos del Río, Mayor María José Pérez defends the 23.45% jump as “essential to cover the real costs of the water cycle and prevent the lack of resources from putting the quality of the supply at risk.” She stresses that the update is about balancing an essential service, not “revenue raising interests,” and notes that all prices are subject to regional oversight and authorisation.
In Fuente Álamo, the 23% rise last year was linked to a contractual adjustment with the concession company, tied to the CPI. Mayor Juana María Martínez warned that refusing to update the tariffs would have meant entering a “costly legal battle” with a firm that holds a long term agreement until 2037.
For many residents, the common thread is clear: years of frozen tariffs, rising costs and delayed contracts are now catching up and they are the ones feeling it in their monthly bills.
You might also be interested in: Cádiz water experts: small bill hikes today prevent big crises tomorrow
Image: Steve Johnson/Pexels
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