Page 7 - aruba-today-20220707

a7
local Thursday 7 July 2022

Government rejects water rate increase

Sends WEB, Elmar and Utilities back to the drawing board to come up with a social rate

Recently, water production water in a conscious way”, a rate structure without
company WEB informed Croes explained. taking their social situation
the community of Aruba into consideration. DAS
through a press release Precarious situation at WEB will have to do an ‘intake’,
that the water rate would and Elmar verify and confirm the so-
increase. Regarding this Currently the government cial situation, and then re-
development, minister of is aware and understands fer these cases to WEB and
Energy, Glenbert Croes the precarious situation of Elmar so they can fall into a
informed during a recent WEB and Elmar, and thus socially fair category in the
press conference that this understands that the rates rate structure.
decision was rejected by must go up. But this has to
the government. come in a way that those Minister Croes confirmed
who have ‘wide shoulders’ that the Ministry of Energy,
The government, as share- – meaning, more means – Ministry of Economy, to-
holder in the Utilities com- will have to pay more, and gether with Utilities, WEB,
pany, and Utilities as share- must have consideration of Elmar and other depart-
holder of WEB, had to sus- the group who doesn’t. ments are working together
pend the decision and an- to figure out how they can
nouncement made, taking Regarding the rate struc- translate the price increase
into consideration that the ture, must also take into that must be introduced
cost of living is already too consideration situations into a fairer way.
high, and water and elec- where for example, some
tricity are basic needs. families went to live to- In his conclusion, minis-
gether because of neces- ter Croes said that he has
Minister Croes explained sity. In this case, if you only hope that the experts will
that for 7 long months look at the amount con- have completed this task
(since the last hedging fin- sumed, this could give the by next week and will make
ished) they asked WEB and impression that a family an announcement. He rec-
(electricity company) El- can pay more, but in real- ognizes that he cannot
mar for them to absorb the ity, it is because of neces- put the future of our state
increase in price – mainly sity that they live together companies WEB, Elmar and
the result of the increase in and cannot survive on their Utilities in danger, and thus
price of oil worldwide. At own. Croes explained that the emphasis remains on
the same time it is under- taking this type of situations the way in which the rate
stood that currently they into consideration, the De- increase will be introduced
are in a very difficult situa- partment of Social Affairs – so that it will be socially
tion and cannot keep ab- (DAS) must be involved – fair. “It is a decision no one
sorbing the increase any- place until today. The struc- and so a dialogue was held wants to make, but this
more. The question now re- “At the end of the 90’s, I ture means that someone with the minister in charge decision must be made in
mains if the price of water was myself the minister in who uses a small amount of of that department, Rocco the general interest, which
and electricity will go up, charge of Utilities and back water pays less, because Tjon. This way, it is possible includes the interest of the
how and in which way this then we came up with they use less. Thus the struc- to avoid that cases like the companies as well”, Croes
will be done. the rate structure that is in ture rewards those who use above mentioned fall into said.q

Minister working to revitalize city centre through agreement

between government and architect bureau O4IA

For the past few months, ing last Tuesday, 5th of July, O4IA will have the main
a variety of preparation the official act of signing task of translating the vision
works were completed re- between the ministry of into a concrete plan and
lated to the plan to revital- Economic Affairs, Com- design, of just value and
ize Oranjestad. Minister of munication and Sustain- one that can be executed
Economic Affairs, Commu- able Development with realistically.
nication and Sustainable the company Office for In-
Development, Mr. Geof- frastructure & Architecture “We are going to have to
frey Wever, held a meeting VBA took place. highlight that which makes
with various stakeholders the city centre unique, and
in this phase of prepara- In the context of the plan promote new economic
tions, in order to get a wide to revitalize Oranjestad, it activity for the area be-
view of the current needs, will be important to visual- yond simply shopping”,
as well as take inventory ize designs in order to have minister Wever comment- everyone who is part of our we will be moving closer to
of the requirements – legal, better planning. Architect ed. The consultations with city centre, and also for all the realization of the plan
commercial, infrastructural, Mr. Raffy Kock, owner of all stakeholders will contin- our visitors, according to a to revitalize the city centre,
etc. – in order to revitalize O4IA, was approached ue during and after this cur- press release from the gov- and will keep sharing this
Aruba’s city centre. seeing his knowledge and rent process, to guarantee ernment. with our community”, minis-
existing experience in proj- that this plan can reflect ter Geoffrey Wever said. q
During the first work meet- ects of this magnitude. the needs and desires of “In the next months ahead