Water pricing

Despite the fact that water has its own financial and economic value, access to water is considered a fundamental human right. It is therefore very difficult to determine a pricing policy that strikes a balance between these two views. One objective may be to recover the investment required to bring water to the consumer. The rationale is to create resources for new investment. However, the idea that the resources needed to transport water, which is considered a public good, should be covered by the taxes collected and that water should be provided free of charge is more widely accepted, as it leads to wastage of water, prevents new investments from being made quickly enough and disrupts equality between individuals. Today, due to increasing population growth around the world, the distance of water resources from settlements and the limited quality of water that can be used directly, large storage, treatment, transmission and distribution systems are being built to provide water. In our country, which is located in a semi-arid climatic zone, investments in water have been important and water supply systems for drinking, industrial and agricultural use have been and are being developed. This study analyses the water pricing system in our country and examines the pricing of water for agriculture, which accounts for the largest share.