The price of water soars, to the point that every month Italians spend on tap water almost double what they pay for bottled mineral water. According to the data published today by Istat on the occasion of the World Water Day established by the UN, between the 2008 and the 2013 the average bill went up by 12,16 21,18 in euros, for an increase of 74 percent. The average spend for mineral water, however, stood in 2013 at just 11,42 €, 4,5% less than in 2012.
This however it doesn't mean tap water Costs more than the one in the bottle, since the Istat numbers do not concern the price per liter, but the general expenditure incurred each month by Italians. The data relating to the tap does not only take into account drinking water, but also that used for any other purpose (kitchen, bathroom, garden), therefore it refers to much higher consumption than that of mineral water.
Going back to Istat data, in 2012 there were 3.161 water service managers in Italy, 82,8% municipal administrations and 17,2% specialized managers. The opinion of households on the supply of water in homes has improved: the share of households complaining of irregularities in the service has decreased, going from 14,7% in 2002 to 8,6% in 2014.
Last year 28% of households said they don't trust drinking tap water: a significant percentage, but much lower than the 40% recorded in 2002. Mistrust is very high in Sardinia (53,4%), Calabria (48,5%), Sicily (46,2%) and Tuscany (38,3 %).
As for the systems sewer and water treatment under infringement procedure for failure to comply with the regulations, leading the ranking is Sicily with 175 cases, followed by Calabria with 130.
