Baku residents outraged by twofold increase of water supply tariff

Azerbaijani authorities have approved a twofold increase in water supply prices from February 1 amid coronavirus restrictions, because of which many people lost their earnings, Baku townspeople are outraged.

The tariff for water supply for the population in the cities of Baku, Sumgait, Khyrdalan and the Apsheron District of Azerbaijan has been doubled since February 1 and is set at 0.7 manats (USD 0.41) per 1 cubic meter of water. This decision was made by the Tariff Council under the Government after considering the appeal of the water distribution company OJSC "Azersu", says the Council's message sent to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Residents of Baku were outraged by the twofold increase in water supply tariff. "The twofold increase in tariffs is simply shocking. Earlier, when they raised the tariff, they explained it by the rise in electricity tariff. But now it is not the case. They just took and raised it," Musa Balaev, a resident of Baku, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Some other townspeople have noted that the rise in the tariff occurred amid the pandemic, due to which restrictions have been in force for a long time. "Almost the whole year we did not work because of the pandemic – we lived on our savings. Now, they raise the water tariff. Water is the most essential thing. You can save on everything, but not on water. Water is food, health, sanitation and hygiene," Leyla Iskenderova, a resident of Baku, who works as a seller at a shopping centre, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 1, 2021 at 07:56 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.