BWSSB hikes water tariff by over 20 pc

Increase is for both domestic, non-domestic connections

The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) on Sunday hiked the water and sanitary tariff with immediate effect, for both domestic and non-domestic connections.

With the increase in tariff, the minimum water bill for domestic connections will rise from the existing Rs 83 to Rs 100 a month, up by more than 20 per cent. 

The water bill includes water, sanitary and service charges. The minimum water tariff will go up 19 per cent from the existing Rs 48 to Rs 57 a month, according to a BWSSB release.

The water tariff for flats, group housing and multi-storey domestic buildings, classified as bulk consumers, has been hiked from Rs 19 to Rs 22 a kilolitre. The minimum tariff for non-domestic connections has been increased nearly 39 per cent from Rs 360 to Rs 500.
The BWSSB, for the first time, has fixed the tariff at Rs 19 a kilolitre for bulk consumers in areas newly added to the BBMP's jurisdiction.

Presently, there are 7.08 lakh water connections in the City, of which 6.69 lakh are domestic and 38,696 non-domestic.

Justifying the tariff hike, the BWSSB said water and sanitary charges for domestic and non-domestic retail users had not been revised since February 1, 2005.

The Board said it was incurring high expenditure on power charges, and finding it difficult to meet operation and maintenance charges with the current revenue.

After the BWSSB approached the State government for permission to increase tariff, the government on November 12, 2013, directed the board to take an appropriate decision. Subsequently the board decided on October 20 this year to increase water and sanitary charges for all consumer, it said.

The BWSSB said it was incurring an expenditure of Rs 82 crore every month, excluding capital recovery and interest payment on government loans, while its earning was Rs 50.23 crore, resulting in a monthly loss of Rs 32 crore.

The BWSSB’s monthly revenue is expected to touch Rs 73.73 crore following the tariff hike. However, it will still leave a gap of Rs 8.27 crore every month.