Policy

General policy frameworks

Policy and regulatory frameworks in the field of drinking water supply have been developed in draft and after consultation with all stakeholders these have been presented as a policy document to the Council of Ministers for approval.

Provisionally, only the legislation serves as guiding principle in the performance of market supervision. This is particularly geared to the quality of the drinking water with a view to public health and additionally also to the availability of drinking water with guaranteed delivery against an affordable price in the overarching objective of the energy policy geared to quality, affordability and sustainability.

Policy objectives

Apart from the statutory framework laid down by the government, BT&P has formulated the following policy objectives:

• Good quality of the drinking water, which complies with internationally accepted quality standards, which is clean and without risks for public health
• A reliable supply of drinking water with guaranteed delivery, without interruptions or shortages and with proper pressure under all circumstances
• Supply of drinking water against socially responsible rates based on a pricing methodology that is transparent and geared to sustainable operations
• Safeguarding social interests where the terms and conditions of delivery for drinking water must comply with the requirements of being reasonable, fair and equitable regarding the policies for connecting and disconnecting, the terms and conditions of delivery, invoicing and collection to be carried out, with sufficient possibilities for independent complaints and disputes procedures to protect the rights and interests of the end user.
• Making sustainable and economizing by way of a reduced dependency on fossil fuels for the production of water and reducing the use of water by stimulating water saving measures
• An efficient drinking water supply whereby the policy objectives can be realized against the lowest possible costs

When rendering advice to the government, BT&P will prioritize these policy objectives.

Supervision policy

The supervision policy of the government is geared to four pillars for the regulation of the drinking water supply, with the realization of the policy objectives as a guiding principle. The following 4 supervision pillars can be distinguished:

• Supervision on quality of drinking water, based on international standards
• Technical operations supervision, which is supervision on the guarantee of a structural and reliable supply of drinking water
• Economic supervision and rates regulation, which means supervision on the efficiency of the drinking water supplies and rates and the protection of the rights and interests of the end user
• Legal supervision, which means supervision on the compliance with and enforcing of legislation