infrastructure needed to treat domestic wastewater and to optimise all main sewer and sewage treatment plants which aquafin took over from the flemish environmental agency. the private british water company severn trent held a 20% minority share in aquafin until it was sold to the flemish government in 2006. wallonia the société wallonne des eaux (called swde after its former name société wallonne des distributions d'eau) is the most important water service provider in wallonia with about 960,000 connections and 2.4 million clients in 200 municipalities, providing water to about 70% of the population of wallonia. swde does not provide sanitation services. besides swde there are seven intermunicipal water utilities in wallonia: aiec - association intercommunale des eaux du condroz aiem - association intercommunale des eaux de la molignée ciesac - compagnie intercommunale des eaux source les avins - groupe clavier cile - compagnie intercommunale liégeoise des eaux in liège iden - intercommunale de distribution d'eau de nandrin-tinlot et environs iecbw - intercommunale des eaux du centre du brabant wallon inasep - intercommunale namuroise de services publics the towns of chimay, burg-reuland, trois-ponts and st-vith have their own municipal utilities. there are also six intermunicipal sanitation utilities: aide - association intercommunale pour le démergement et l'epuration des communes de la province de liège aive - association intercommunale pour la valorisation de l'eau pour la province de luxembourg ibw - intercommunale du brabant wallon igretec - intercommunale pour la gestion et la réalisation d'etudes techniques et economiques inasep - intercommunale namuroise de services publics ipalle - intercommunale de propreté publique du hainaut occidental there is also one intermunicipal water and sanitation utility: idea - intercommunale de développement economique et d'aménagement de la région mons-borinage-centre. the seats in the boards of directors of the intercommunales are distributed according to political majorities in the communes. "most intercommunales are controlled by coalitions between the (walloon) socialist party and the (walloon) christian democrats party." brussels region the intercommunale bruxelloise de distribution d'eau (ibde) is in charge of water distribution and billing for 19 municipalities in the brussels region. previously the intercommunale bruxelloise d'assainissement (ibra) had been in charge of stormwater drainage and sanitary sewers in the brusels region, which had only been created in 2000 to replace four intercommunales for sanitation. the former compagnie intercommunale bruxelloise des eaux (cibe), renamed vivaqua in 2006, sells bulk water to the city of brussels. it also operates its sewer network and the brussels-south wastewater treatment plant on behalf of ibde. vivaqua also provides services to other municipalities and intermunicipal associations in both flanders and wallonia with a total of 309,000 connections and 2.1 million direct and indirect clients. associations belgaqua is the belgian federation for the water and sanitation sector representing its member utilities. it regroups three regional trade associations: aquabru for the region of brussels-capital aquawal for the walloon region aqua flanders for the flemish region. aquawal is the trade association of public water and sanitation service providers in wallonia. financial aspects tariffs water tariffs throughout belgium are increasing-block tariffs with higher unit prices for higher consumption. the number and size of blocks as well as tariff levels for each block vary between regions and service providers. although pidpa (in the flemisch region, the antwerp campine (de kempen in dutch)) has changed this in 2009. the unit price has risen for those who have a low consumption (<250 cu meter/year), and fallen for higher volumes (+ 250 cu meter/year). the price is now the same. flemish region. everyone has the right to a minimal supply of 15 cubic meters (41 liter/capita/day) of free water per person per year. concerning sanitation, those living under the minimum subsistence level are exempt from the sanitation tax. walloon region. for water, there is an increasing-block tariff with four blocks of consumption. the first block is up to 30 cubic meter per household per year (82 liter/household/day). brussels region. the increasing-block tariff has also four blocks, the highest beginning at 60 cubic meter per person per year. the first cubic meter costs 3.8 times less than the highest one. a social fund for water has also been set up, financed by a tax of 0.01 euro/cubic meter. financing walloon region. the walloon region has established a public company dedicated to the financing and operation of sanitation infrastructure and watershed protection. the société publique de gestion de l'eau (spge), created in 1999, operates under five-year performance contracts with the government. tariffs are being monitored by an independent entity (comité de contrôle) and results are independently monitored by a collège d'evaluation. its two core functions are carried out in two different ways: for the financing of sanitation infrastructure, it signs a contract with utilities that obliges them to carry out the investment and operate the infrastructure. spge perceives sewer tariff revenues to recoup its investment and to finance the operation of the sanitation infrastructure. for watershed protection, it signs a contract with utilities under which they pay spge for its services. spge finances its investments from its capital, through long-term loans from the european investment bank (eib) and other sources, as well as through short-term borrowing. more than 80% of spge is owned by public entities - almost 40% by the walloon regional government, 24% by aquawal and 20% by swe - and less than 20% is owned by private companies, including about 10% by dexia and 5% by auxipar. flanders region. in flanders, the public company aquafin is a major financier of sanitation and also benefits from long-term lending provided by the eib.