Water Charges Will Rise More Than 11 Percent within Three Years

Water charges are to rise more than 11 percent by 2004.

Through the consultation with the related ministries including the Office of the Government Policy Cooperation, the Ministry of Finance and Economy, and the Ministry of Construction and Transportation, the government decided to actualize the wide area water supply charges (193.23 won per ton), which is currently 80 percent of the prime cost, to reach 87 percent of the prime cost by 2002, 94 percent by 2003, and 100 percent by 2004, by increasing the wide area water charges every year.

When the charges for the wide area water supply, which is provided by more than two local autonomous organizations, increase like this, the local water supply charges, which people pay, will increase by 3.34 percent by next year and by 11 percent by 2004, said the Office of the Government Policy Cooperation yesterday.

However, considering other factors for the increase, the actual range of increase is anticipated to be wider since the local water supply charges are decided by each local autonomous organization.

The government (the Korea Water Resources Development Corporation) decided to fund the construction cost for the unified water purification plant, which has been funded by the local autonomous organizations since 1994, and to revise the water law as early as possible.

Following this, the Korea Water Resources Development Corporation will fund a total of 2.1726 trillion won, including 1.2284 trillion won for the construction of the 29 unified water purification plants, which were constructed after 1994 or are under construction, and 944.2 billion won for the 19 unified water purification plans, which are planned to be constructed by 2011.

Lee Chol-Hi klimt@donga.com