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This receipt that we attach, has been paid by a neighbor of Totana for the second quarter of the water supply service.

Water consumption 52.82 euros, total bill with taxes and surcharges 175.36 euros.

Because we pay few taxes and late fees, some are considering raising them even more.

That is if we do not see a single local politician consider making a motion requesting to reduce current spending or mamandurrias to the parties, unions, related associations, etc, etc, etc ..., yes, the average monthly price is around 59 euros of which, about 17 euros per month would be for consumption and the rest, taxes and other concepts.If the minimum wage is established in Spain at about 900 euros, 3% would be about 27 euros to be paid per month at the most, tax, fees and surcharges included and not 52.80 euros, also putting concepts such as the payment of garbage that have nothing to do with this fundamental good and right such as water.

At this point we must begin to deal with certain concepts that may go unnoticed but that are quite important to us as a community and as consumers.First of all, we must know that water for human consumption is a right according to UN resolution 64/292 and the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights adopted in General Comment No.

15 the definition of the right to water as the right to dispose of water for personal and domestic use:EfficientHealthyAcceptablePhysically accessibleAffordableIn Spain, as a developed country, we take it for granted that this is the case, but deep down we all know that this is not the case.

As for affordable water availability, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) suggests that the cost of water should not exceed 3% of a household's income.Local entities are competent in the matter of water supply and those in charge of supplying it in the quantity and quality established in the regulatory norms, their management can be carried out in various ways: direct, indirect and MIXED management.

Due to the regulatory complexity and the economic difficulties that some municipalities are going through, such as ours.

The difficulty of managing this basic and public service has led many City Councils to enter into concession contracts for the management of water supply for human consumption to private companies, so that the management becomes indirect (private) to see in this model a Very fast and comfortable source of financing due to the financial advance that they can request on the concession fee.

Although it is more expensive for the end consumer.Under the premises established on water as a human right and public good, we could conclude that this should not be a business object or an argument for the collection of other taxes, services or interest on late payment, and the benefits obtained should have an impact on the municipality as part of a social economy aimed at the continuous improvement of the municipality's integral water cycle.

Therefore we must understand that the supply of drinking water:It is a human right.That the town councils are competent administrations in matters of the integral water cycle and that they can directly manage this service.That it is a public good -but not free- to which everyone must have access and that although a minimum must be paid, the sections that are taxed for increased consumption should take into account the number of people living at home and that normally do not contribute salary to the home, since they are minors, unemployed, retired or dependents.That some municipalities have decided to manage it indirectly through concessions of services to private companies whose industrial benefit is legal and justified, due to the lack of means of local entities which, for their part, have seen financing in the concession fees.

for the coffers.In September of last year, the Totana City Council had to approve a loan of about 12 million euros to pay pending sentences, among them to Socamex-Urbaser about 6.7 million euros, a water management company that was contracted and He was claiming more than 10 million euros in court for the early termination of the Contract and that he had already advanced about 6 million euros in 2008 to our City Council.

As we can see, this form of indirect (private) management, apart from leaving aside the concept of the public or social good, leaves aside the efficient control of water, the cost of it and it is much more expensive if political management is not effective.

But is there another way to manage water?The answer is yes, MIXED and its conception derives from the so-called SOCIAL ECONOMY, where one of its main characteristics is democracy in decision-making because we must not deceive ourselves.

Local entities have less and less capacity for various reasons, the most important of which is a political class that does not know what to worry about.

Managing this service, hiring qualified personnel to provide the water supply, maintenance and affordable prices for all, due to its complexity and regulations, is something very difficult and laborious for the vast majority of our politicians.

Therefore, the remunicipalisation of this service is not a guarantee of good control or good management.But what would happen if the management and control were taken by the citizens themselves who wanted to be part of what to do with our water, instead of a private company? This is the SOCIAL ECONOMY where the users themselves would participate and get involved in the management of this public good.

The model to guarantee a public management participated by the users themselves would therefore be the mixed Management model, through a cooperative at the local level of consumption constituted to self-manage the integral water service of the municipality and where the City Council would be a collaborative partner more together to the citizens who so wish but without the politicians themselves occupying, in any of the cases, the directive bodies of this cooperative.Due to the special characteristics of the SOCIAL ECONOMY - in its statutes and obligations a social contribution of the benefits must be established - the control and knowledge about the management would be decided by the users themselves and the benefits should have a direct impact on improving their own service, maintenance, professional staff, etc ..., and of course, in setting a fair price for this service for each type of income, families and economic conditions of both families and companies.Why is this management model not promoted and developed by the municipalities themselves, and even more so, if they are not capable of managing it effectively, nor are they capable of providing us with a fair price on this asset to which we are entitled? The answer is obvious, water is a great business in the hands of a few privileged few, like any business where the "clientele" is guaranteed and politicians, the vast majority, are not willing to give up business that always in a certain way.

another, they favor them, their parties (be they "left" or "right") or their own family and closest friends.Totana Action

Source: Acción Totana