If paying for water services has proved to be essential, if only to combat wastage, this does not mean, however, that all consumers should pay the same price.
Acknowledging the right to water entails taking into account the "ability to pay" of consumers. This is because not everyone is able to pay the real cost for water.
An "acceptable" recovery of costs rather than a "full cost" recovery of costs is therefore proposed, as put forward in the report "Financing Water for All" at the Kyoto Summit in 2003.
Subsidized social tariffs for water consumption and connection to the public water mains may therefore be put in place if required. Taking the lead from central authorities, new forms of solidarity have to be devised at a local level to make access to water and sanitation for all a genuine reality.
In developed countries, Veolia Water works alongside local authorities on a daily basis to maintain access to water services for people in financial straits; educates disadvantaged communities on how to use water wisely, works with social services, spreads the payment of bills and contacts domestic customers who are in financial difficulty.