상수이용에 대한 물자원의 합리적 가격화 연구

Abstract

Reasonable pricing of water can induce optimal water use by the public by relaying the considerable costs of water provision and plays an important role of providing a basic value scheme for the reasonable management of water. This study provides a reasonable pricing scheme of water that reflects the economic and social values of water as a resource by investigating reasonable bulk-water pricing and retail-water pricing. For bulk pricing, the study discusses the range of costs to be covered, design of efficient pricing structures (differentiated by source quality, loss ratios and time of year), and sharing efficient costs between beneficiaries (customer groups and regions). The study also addresses the adjustment of present charging schemes for bulk water such as charges for bulk water from dam, abstraction charges, and river charges etc. Factoring in demand and available resource characteristics, the differentiated pricing mechanism is also investigated. The study proposes a differentiated pricing mechanism based on season, where the pricing structure reflects the cost structure related to fluctuated demand. In addition, implementation methods and effects of introducing seasonal pricing scheme are discussed. Another seasonal pricing mechanism, the seasonally differentiated pricing scheme in bulk pricing reflects a cost structure related to resource availability, is also investigated. Increasing block rate as a reasonable pricing scheme for water conservation, and priority pricing as a tool for socially desirable water allocation in the case of water shortage are designed. For practical implementation of pricing schemes, several issues are discussed: identification and calculation of costs that should be covered and the structure of costs as a basis of differentiated pricing schemes, issue of forecasting, and practical problems that could be happen in the implementation of increasing block rate and seasonal pricing schemes, etc. Institutional systems that implement the proposed pricing schemes are important for systematizing pricing mechanisms and reasonable use of water resources. The study recommends the institutional structure for efficient water management/use include an integrated river basin management system and establishment of an independent agency for executive function (separation of policy making function and executive function). A corporatized organization for actual water supply function is also recommended (separation of regulation function and supply function).