Dynamic analysis of financial cost of water and pricing policy : a case study of Nanjing, P.R. China

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1995-08

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Abstract

A dynamic model was constructed to analyze the process of municipal water supply and water pricing policies in Nanjing, China. The analyses show that the marginal cost is increasing as the water supply increases, since the land and water .resource are limited In such case, to achieve economic efficiency, the water price can lie set equal to marginal cost of water. Such a policy will allow the water company to accumulate the funds for future investments. it is also shown that, in Nanjing, the municipal water supply is a capital intensive industry. When the scale of total supply is increasing, the required capital stock for the water supply will increase faster than the growth rate of total supply, because capital goods become relatively more expensive in China since 1980. Comparatively, the required number of employees in Nanjing Water Supply Company will increase with a much lower growth rate. The results of the simulation predicts that, with proper water pricing policy and management, water supply can be a self-financed (even profitable) industry, even though the water supply company in Nanjing has the big budget deficits at present. Water quality has also become an important issue in Nanjing. Some evidence shows that the decline in the quality -of water may be a contributory cause of cancer, hence more attention should be direct to the quality of the water and environmental protection. To improve the quality of water, Nanjing will need technical assistance.

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CHINA--NANJING, WATER SUPPLY, WATER MANAGEMENT, WATER QUALITY, ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION, WATER PRICES, ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS, COST ANALYSIS, SUPPLY AND DEMAND, MATHEMATICAL MODELS, SIMULATION, FORECASTS, SURVEYS, ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS, PUBLIC SERVICES

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