Idaan on water usage

70% of the water consumption in Panama is monitored by Idaan, with this, Idaan works to monitor consumption patterns.

Approximately 70% of the population of Panama have meters installed to monitor their water consumption, paying 80 cents per thousand gallons of drinking water. Jesus Arroha, director of Idaan, believes that the entity can use this data to monitor consumption patterns.

Idaan estimates this puts the daily consumption level per person at approximately 400 liters.  When compared with international indicators, it is five times higher than the 80 liters per person suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO). Experts say the that the high consumption is explained by the low cost of the service.

The current tariff structure starts with a minimum consumption estimate for the residential and non-residential sector. Customers pay Idaan between 71 and  80 cents per thousand gallons of drinking water.

It is estimated that presently the cost of water production is more than double the invoiced rate taking into account the operating cost that includes labor, materials, and equipment.

Idaan is not able to raise its tariff at this time because it is not effective in providing the service, especially in areas in the city where the service is not consistent. 

Many direct subsidies benefit the population varying between 25% to 85% which is presently covered by the National Government and the Ministry of Health.  Add to this the indirect subsidies that companies receive for investments allocated for studies, works and a special agreement with the government.

To check on your Idaan invoice, go to https://www.idaan.gob.pa/ and enter the first 6 numbers of your account in the box at the top right of the page. To print your invoice, click "descargar copia de ultima facatura" the button is highlighted in blue.