Rarotonga’s water Authority, To Tatou Vai (TTV) says evidence has shown that throughout the Pacific, if a tariff is introduced water consumption will decrease and people will begin to conserve water.

TTV’s board chair Brian Mason has urged Parliament and the government to make decisions based on science, common sense and good stewardship of the environment and should avoid pressure groups.

Mason and TTV chief executive Tereapii Timoti were yesterday summoned by the Bills, Petitions and Papers Committee in response to the ‘Keep Our Water Free’ petition that was tabled in Parliament in September.

The Committee was chaired by Member of Parliament Akaiti Puna and includes MPs Tukaka Ama, Teokotai Herman, Tetangi Matapo and Robert Heather. Opposition MPs Tina Browne and Stephen Matapo were not present yesterday.

The Water Petition requests the collection, treatment and reticulation of water continue without tariffs and ongoing-charges to users.

Speaking to Cook Islands News, Mason said that the main point they raised with the committee was that the petition “doesn't seem to have a problem with the funding of To Tatou Vai.”

“It's about the manner of the funding, whether it says should be through government appropriation or through tariffs.

“To Tatou Vai submits that it has to be through tariffs because an essential requirement of the system is to reduce the current level of consumption if it's going to work properly.”

He said 17 million litres of water goes into the system each day and they have to reduce it to 12 million litres.

He said that the system that was built for $100 million is designed to allow 12 million litres to pass through it each day.

“Evidence shows that throughout the Pacific, if you introduce a tariff, consumption falls and people start to conserve water.

“That way the system will work properly and the pressure should be adequate to allow homes on higher ground to get water, which they can't get at the moment.”

Mason, speaking to the committee, said that when tariffs will be introduced, water consumption will be reduced generally by about 20 per cent and it is exactly what Rarotonga needs.

He explained that TTV is obliged to service all households that lie 30 metres above sea level and below that level.

“We cannot, because those tanks need to fill up.  And the reason they never fill up is because there is too much demand.”

He said the objective is to encourage people to conserve water, but to also make sure that no one goes without it. 

Mason said the water petitioner’s  indicated that water is not a commodity. 

“It is a commodity. Just as minerals are.  And the reason it's a commodity is because it is a limited resource... and it has to be treated with care. 

He said one of the concerns about the petition was its version where the consequences of not having a tariff should be put to the benefit of the public or society.

He urged that parliament and government should be making decisions based on science,  common sense and good stewardship of the environment and should avoid pressure groups 

The Water Petition Committee will make submissions today at 10.30am.