Azerbaijan is studying a differential (tiered) water tariff system modeled on practices in Türkiye and parts of Europe, an official said at the 2nd National Competition Forum in Baku.
Asad Shirinov, adviser to the chairman of the Azerbaijan State Water Resources Agency, said tiered pricing is reflected in the country’s National Water Strategy on Efficient Use of Water and is now under detailed review.
“Once the analysis is complete, we will submit a proposal to the Tariff Council,” he noted, stressing that no formal proposal has yet been filed.
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According to Shirinov, the concept is to shield low-income households with preferential rates, while setting higher tariffs for heavy users in a second tier to encourage conservation.
Commercial consumers that use water to generate income would be placed on separate rates. He added that similar differential mechanisms already operate in gas and electricity (via Azerigas and Azerishig), while water remains the only utility without such a system.
Shirinov addressed public concern that “differential” equals “price hikes”: the intent, he said, is not across-the-board increases, but fairer pricing-lower for vulnerable users, cost-reflective for large-volume and commercial consumers. Work on the proposal is ongoing.
