Minister of Water Management looking into charging people for excessive water usage

Drinking water could become more expensive in the future for people who use it excessively. Outgoing minister Mark Harbers (Infrastructure and Water Management) has assigned researchers to investigate the possibility of charging people to encourage them to be more frugal with their water. The results of this research are expected in the autumn, after which the new Cabinet is expected to make a decision on the subject.

In a letter to the lower house of the Dutch Parliament, the Tweede Kamer, Harbers noted that Belgium has two prices for drinking water: a basic rate and a comfort rate. “In that case, the basic rate guarantees affordability for basic use, while the comfort rate provides an incentive to use less.”

The minister sees two ways to achieve this: separate rates controlled by drinking water companies or taxation on tap water. Harbers wrote that both options have pros and cons, which his ministry is currently researching.

It was already a goal for the Cabinet to have the drinking water usage reduced significantly to prevent shortages in dry periods.

On average, a Dutch citizen uses 134 liters a day. The goal is to reduce this to 100 liters by 2035.

According to Harbers, shorter showers would be the quickest route to lower water usage. Of the 134 liters that Dutch citizens use daily, over 40 percent goes through the shower drain. A water-saving shower head can also help with this.

Another 30 percent is used to flush the toilet. Rainwater or collected shower water could serve as an alternative.