Prague Residents Will Pay More for Water Next Year

In the upcoming year, Prague’s residents are set to experience a rise in their water bills. The water and sewage fees will increase to 144.88 crowns per cubic meter, marking a 13 percent upturn from the previous year.

City councilors, in February 2022, approved a strategy extending until 2028, enabling the city to annually increase water and sewage fees by two percent above inflation.

Consequently, this year witnessed a 13 percent escalation, with the amount climbing by nearly 17 crowns, from 128.18 crowns to 144.88 crowns per cubic meter.

The municipal company Pražská vodohospodářská společnost (PVS) oversees Prague’s water management infrastructure, leasing it to Pražské vodovody a kanalizace (PVK) until 2028.

Next year, PVS is set to collect approximately 3.55 billion crowns in rent, an increase of about 584 million from the previous year.

The year-on-year increase translates to around 56 crowns per month per person for all water management services, totaling an annual increase of 671 crowns per person.

According to the document approved by Prague councillors on Monday, the socially sustainable water price calculated for the city of Prague in 2024 is 235.47 crowns per cubic meter.

Despite the increase, the price of water and sewage in Prague remains below the socially sustainable threshold. The cost for one liter of produced and delivered drinking water, inclusive of subsequent disposal and ecological cleaning, is less than 15 Czech haléř.

The rental fee for water management infrastructure, paid by PVK to the municipal company PVS, will also witness a year-on-year increase. Compared to last year, it is projected to rise to about 3.55 billion crowns, while this year’s rental fee is set at approximately 2.96 billion.

Most of the collected funds, over 3.3 billion, will be allocated by PVS for investments in the renewal of water and sewerage systems.

The amount of rent is influenced by factors such as the increase in operational and uncontrollable costs, as well as the change in the VAT rate for water approved by the government.

Veolia owns 51 percent of PVK, with the remaining 49 percent owned by the city through PVS. The company manages a water supply network that spans 4,444 kilometers and a sewer network covering 4,760 kilometers.

Last year, it served 93,521 contract customers.