Water Bills Halved in Güllük

The nationalization step implemented by Muğla Metropolitan Municipality and MUSKİ General Directorate in Milas's Güllük Neighborhood was directly reflected in the citizens' bills. Following the transfer of water and wastewater infrastructure services, previously carried out by a private company, to the public for 187 million TL, the first bills in Güllük reached subscribers. The application, which is the first of its kind in Turkey in terms of re-nationalizing water services, allowed citizens who had long suffered from high bills and infrastructure issues in the region to breathe easier with the new tariff.

Significant Decrease in First Bills in Güllük

Drinking water and sewer infrastructure services in Milas's Güllük Neighborhood were previously carried out by the private sector. The tariffs applied during this period were approximately twice as high compared to MUSKİ's tariffs, provoking strong public reactions. Due to water cuts, infrastructure problems, and high bills, complaints had been ongoing in the region. An important step was taken in April through the efforts of Muğla Metropolitan Mayor Ahmet Aras. Water and wastewater infrastructure services in Güllük were nationalized by MUSKİ General Directorate for 187 million TL. Following the nationalization, citizens began receiving water services at the same tariff as subscribers throughout Muğla. The first bills of the new period saw a 50% decrease.

"We Were Paying Water Bills Equivalent to Electricity"

Residents of Güllük expressed their satisfaction after the new bills. Retired teacher Nurten Baykal stated that bills halved after the transition to MUSKİ, saying, "We were almost paying water bills equivalent to electricity, now our bills have dropped by half."

Local tradesman İbrahim Gülten mentioned that water bills had previously reached very high levels. Gülten noted that bills, which were 13-14 thousand TL in the past, sometimes rose to 16-22 thousand TL, and they also faced water cuts due to difficulties in payments. After MUSKİ took over the service, bills dropped to between 2,500 TL and 3,000 TL. Gülten said, "We received such a bill for the first time, we are overjoyed."

Muhtar Polat: High Satisfaction

Güllük Neighborhood Headman Ali Polat stated they have received positive feedback from citizens. Polat emphasized that especially tradesmen are satisfied with the new bills, mentioning that for some businesses the reduction rate exceeded 50%.

In his statement, Headman Polat said, "We have tradesmen saying prices fell by more than 50%, overall satisfaction is high. I thank our Mayor Ahmet Aras, MUSKİ General Director Yılmaz Şengül, and those involved and hope the service strengthens further with infrastructure investments."

Faster Intervention in Faults and Interruptions

After the nationalization process, not only bills but also the service process improved. Fault and interruption reports are now responded to faster through the renewed subscriber center and call center.

MUSKİ teams have reportedly accelerated their work addressing infrastructure problems in the area. This process increased both the quality of service and trust in MUSKİ among citizens.

Yılmaz Şengül: We Contributed to Our Citizens’ Budgets

MUSKİ General Director Yılmaz Şengül stated that the nationalization in Güllük was carried out with a social municipal understanding. Şengül said the adjustments made to water tariffs in Muğla aim to provide citizens with fairer and more accessible service.

In his statement, Şengül said, "When we took office in 2024, Muğla was among the most expensive provinces in Turkey in terms of water fees. With the regulations we made under the leadership of our Metropolitan Mayor Mr. Ahmet Aras, we have dropped to 7th place and continue to offer our citizens services with a fairer and more accessible tariff."

Şengül noted that about 10,000 subscribers in Güllük benefited from this adjustment, saying, "With the nationalization we carried out in Milas's Güllük Neighborhood, we provided about 10,000 subscribers with water services under the same conditions as Muğla-wide tariffs. With the drop seen in the first bills, we relieved our citizens from the burden of high costs and contributed to their budgets."

Ahmet Aras: We Implement Social Municipalism in the Best Way

Muğla Metropolitan Mayor Ahmet Aras said the process carried out in Güllük is a concrete result of their social municipalism understanding. Aras stated that citizens had long suffered from high tariffs and infrastructure problems in the region and that the Metropolitan Municipality intervened in the process.

In his statement, Mayor Aras said, "For many years in Güllük, our citizens were suffering due to high tariffs and infrastructure problems. We intervened in the process as the Metropolitan Municipality and re-nationalized the service via MUSKİ. Following the adjustment, a 50% decrease was achieved in the first bills, and our citizens began to receive services at lower costs."

He emphasized that they aim for permanent improvements not only in prices but also in infrastructure services, stating, "This step is a result of our social municipalism approach aiming to provide all our citizens equal, fair, and accessible conditions for a fundamental service like water. We continue our efforts tirelessly to deliver equal, fair, and accessible services to citizens in all 13 districts of Muğla."

Reporter: News Center