Water prices will rise once the management of the water supply network in Portugal is privatised, said the Minister of Agriculture, Sea, Environment and Spatial Planning Assunção Cristas this week.
The minister says the cost of water in Portugal is significantly low in some areas and needs to be brought in line with water tariffs charged in the rest of Europe.
Assunção Cristas has admitted that increasing water tariffs will create a problem for many people who are “used to paying water prices way below the average European costs”.
“The government does not see the privatisation of the national public water supply entity as an option, however it is looking at privatising its management,” she said.
