ArmInfo. On Dec. 21, the Armenian government approved a decision to mitigate the impact of tariffs on water supply on the average consumer. Within the stipulated events, the difference of 11.4 drams will be compensated at the expense of Veolia Djur rent to the state budget of the country. The preferential treatment for the entire Armenian population will be maintained only during 2018.
Chairman of the State Water Management Committee Arsen Harutyunyan, presenting the draft decision, recalled that on August 7 this year, Veolia Djur JSC, Veolia Djur, a single operator in the sphere of water supply and water disposal, requested the increase in the water tariff from the Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) up to 194.3 AMD (including VAT). In November this year, the regulator approved the application at the level of 191,414 AMD per cubic meter (from the current 180 AMD). However, in order to neutralize the negative impact of the tariff increase on the average consumer, the government took the initiative to compensate the difference of 11.4 drams at the expense of Veolia Djur's rent to the state budget of the country and provide a single water operator with a subsidy for preserving the water tariff in the previous amount.
The difference will be compensated for the entire population during 2018. Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan urged Arsen Harutyunyan to further develop the procedure according to which the state will subsidize the difference only for socially disadvantaged groups of the population.
