Government - Rising prices with new water law - consultation postponed
Consumers in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are facing higher water prices. As Agriculture and Environment Minister Till Backhaus (SPD) said in Schwerin on Tuesday, the state is planning to double the so-called water abstraction fee from 10 to 20 cents per cubic meter with the upcoming revision of the relevant law. In addition, farmers are to pay for water used to irrigate their fields, unlike in the past. If they use surface water, they will have to pay 2 cents per cubic meter, and 6 cents when tapping groundwater.
According to Backhaus, the draft law should be discussed by the cabinet on Tuesday. However, in view of the current discussions surrounding agriculture, the issue will now be postponed until the beginning of 2024, possibly until spring. However, the farmers' association has been informed of the plans.
Farmers had criticized the levying of a water charge for irrigation as an additional burden. According to Backhaus, however, this has long been the rule in most other federal states. According to him, a total of 530,000 to 850,000 euros per year would be due in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. According to Backhaus, farms that construct their own retention basins and use rainwater in this way do not have to pay any fees.
He did not say what impact the change in the law will have on private households. The new law is set to come into force on January 1, 2025 once it has been passed by the state parliament.
The minister pointed out that water management is becoming increasingly important and costly as a result of climate change. In dry summers, alarmingly low water levels had already been recorded on some lakes and rivers. Although the rain and snow of recent weeks had replenished surface waters in many cases, the deficits in groundwater had not yet been made up.
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Source: www.stern.de
