PodcastIstanbul municipality raises water price by 12.6 percent
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Council has raised the price of water by 12.6 percent. AKP councillor Tevfik Göksu said that although Istanbul's Water Authority İSKİ had demanded a raise of 35 percent, AKP and MHP councillors would be willing to approve only a 12.6 percent raise, which he said was the current average inflation rate.
Duvar English
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Council has raised water price by 12.6 percent in the province. The decision was taken by a unanimous vote in the council, where ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) councillors hold majority.
Prior to the voting session, the council's AKP group deputy chairperson said that Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (İSKİ) had initially demanded for water price to be increased by 35 percent, but the AKP and MHP councillors did not accept this proposal.
“Instead, we proposed an increase of 12.6 percent, which is the average inflation in Turkey right now. Therefore, with the proposal of the AKP and MHP councillors, Istanbul residents will use water at an increased price of 12.6 percent, not 35 percent,” Tevfik Göksu was quoted as saying by state-run Anadolu Agency on July 16.
The new pricing will be valid as of July 20.
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Council last year decreased water price by 46 percent. Although this proposal was submitted by the AKP to the council, it was in fact an election promise of Ekrem İmamoğlu from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP). The AKP councillors submitted the proposal shortly after İmamoğlu's certificate of election was revoked in May 2019.
İmamoğlu declared victory in the race to be Istanbul mayor for a second time on June 23, 2019.