Water tariff hike on cards

The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) chairperson P B Ramamurthy on Saturday said any revision in the power tariff badly affects the Board and necessitates a hike in the water rates.

The Board had earlier proposed to increase the water charges in December last year but the government did not approve it.

“The previous increase in the power tariff cost us an additional Rs 20 crore. We sent a proposal to hike water charges by 10 to 15 per cent, but the government did not approve it. The recent hike in power rates will now cost us Rs 30 crore extra,” said Ramamurthy.

The Board presently pays Rs 270 crore as electricity bill. The two hikes in tariff have increased power bills by Rs 50 crore. Thus, the total amount the BWSSB pays towards electricity is about Rs 320 crore. The establishment and maintenance cost is around Rs 450 crore. This way, the Board spends Rs 730 crore to Rs 750 crore annually for maintenance, he said.