The press recently reported on the latest financial figures of Vivaqua, the Brussels intercommunal body responsible for the production and distribution of drinking water, as well as for managing sewage networks and flood control in the Brussels Region.
The MR group, through Brussels MR MPs Aurélie Czekalski and Viviane Teitelbaum, recalled that they had tabled a resolution proposal last June aimed at guaranteeing tariff affordability for water in Brussels. This initiative is essential to preserve fair access to water, a basic necessity, while taking into account environmental costs and the resource itself. This text was debated and rejected by the majority on Friday 12 January during the plenary session of the Brussels Parliament.
The tariff increase for Vivaqua, approved by Brugel in February 2023, has allowed the operator to secure a minimum level of funding for the investments needed to maintain a quality water service. However, this is not how Vivaqua can solve the chronic underfunding it has been facing for some time.
Last October, Vivaqua's Director General came to update the Brussels Parliament on her institution's financial situation. Today, she is once again sounding the alarm in the press. Vivaqua's debt is estimated at one billion euros, preventing it from making the investments needed to renovate the sewage network. In addition, Vivaqua faces IT problems and rising staff costs. Last year, the intercommunal body was only able to renovate 14 km of sewers, a fraction of the need. Vivaqua's Director General is calling for financial support from the Brussels Region. She believes the company's future is at stake.
In this context, the MPs believe it is time to work towards rationalising the sharing of investments between water operators, particularly regarding flood control, such as the storm basins which in practice currently fall under both VIVAQUA and Hydria.
Unlike other public bodies that receive a subsidy, VIVAQUA, which operates across the entire water supply chain, must derive its revenue almost entirely from the price of water, a price over which the operator has very limited control. Yet water is a basic necessity and access to water is a fundamental right that must be protected.
In order to have guarantees of transparency and objective assessment of the water operators' financial needs, guarantees necessary to determine the potential level of regional intervention, the MR group's MPs have asked the Brussels Government to carry out, as soon as possible, the analysis of the rationalisation of the water sector. This should help identify the roles and responsibilities of each water sector actor, water-related costs, the funding sources of the various services, possible synergies,… All with a view to optimising and improving Vivaqua's financial burden.
“Water is an important public good. Vivaqua, which supplies water to Brussels, is in financial difficulty. The Brussels Government should help Vivaqua to guarantee access to water for all Brussels residents. We regret the outcome of the majority/opposition vote, as we have been waiting nine years for this study on the rationalisation of the water sector in Brussels. The ball is now in the Government's court,” say Aurélie Czekalski and Viviane Teitelbaum.
David Leisterh, MR group leader, is concerned: “The situation is becoming more dangerous every day. Better to save Vivaqua today than tomorrow.”