Water Tariffs and Affordability in Urban Water Supply and Wastewater Systems

The current study attempts to identify the role of the most widely used physical, economic and institutional parameters that may affect water tariffs and affordability across several cities in high and upper-middle income countries. Differential inferential statistical methods were employed to explore potential associations of the water consumption, variable and fixed costs, utility management, and minimum wage, with the economic affordability on household level. The findings indicate a loose association of the tariffs with the above indicators which may not lead to certain assumptions. Although the results may be uncertain and inconclusive, however, there have only few studies till now exploring and comparing water affordability of urban water systems in high and upper-middle income countries. The findings could trigger further research on the better comprehension of affordability and water tariffs by improving social inclusion of low-income households on urban water accessibility and usage.