The company Agua de Puebla reported that revoking its contract would entail a compensation of 7 billion pesos and reported that at least 350 neighborhoods are experiencing water shortages. This statement was made during a joint appearance on Wednesday before the deputies of the Commission of Finance and Municipal Heritage of the local Congress, where the directors of the company Héctor Durán Díaz and of Soapap, Gustavo Gaytán Alcaraz, were present.
During the presentation, a report detailing the 10 years of validity of the concession contract granted in 2013, during the administration of former governor Rafael Moreno Valle, was presented. To date, the company has only paid 852 million pesos of the 1,486 million committed as compensation.
Agua de Puebla reported a net profit of 54.6 million pesos in 2023, after deducting operating expenses and investments; however, it did not provide detailed information on the annual gross revenue or on other incomes such as fines, reconnection surcharges, and meter charges. They indicated that the company's operating expenses total 1,681 million pesos per year.
Guadalupe Vargas, chairwoman of the Finance Commission, mentioned that the review of the concession contract will be the responsibility of the next state administration. She emphasized that the elected governor, Alejandro Armenta, has proposed a water plan to address the scarcity problem and is committed to implementing actions from the start of his term.
The current contract, which grants Concesiones Integrales (the corporate name of Agua de Puebla) control over the water service and the setting of tariffs, has a duration of 30 years and was approved by Congress in 2013.
