<p>Bengaluru: Come April 1, monthly water bills in Bengaluru are set to go up by 3%.</p>.<p>Exactly a year after increasing the water tariff by a whopping 32%, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has decided to adopt a new system where the water bill goes up by 3% every year to “offset the increase in expenditure”. This is a major policy shift for the water board with some political leaders terming the automatic increase “anti-people” while demanding its immediate withdrawal.</p>.<p>In the notification issued last year, BWSSB had revised water and sanitation tariff for all consumers, a decision it took after 12 years following an approval of the state government. In the same notification, BWSSB had also announced that a 3% automatic annual increase in water tariffs will be rolled out on April 1 every year.</p>.<p>Speaking to DH, BWSSB chairman Dr Ramprasat Manohar V, confirmed that the 3% increase would come into effect on April 1. The Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission, he said, had recommended a 5% automatic annual increase in water tariff every year. “The water board has reduced the increase to 3%,” he said.</p>.<p>The hike, Manohar said, is being enforced to tame inflation.</p>.<p>“It factors in the increase in cost of commodities and electricity. Instead of a lumpsum increase in the water bill once in many years, we decided to introduce a revision by a small percentage every year,” he said, adding that the BWSSB continues to be in revenue deficit.</p>.<p>In May 2026, BWSSB had increased the bill by up to 1 paisa per litre for domestic users and up to 1.9 paisa per litre for industries. It had also hiked sanitary charges for borewell users by Rs 30 while it was Rs 125 for non-domestic connections. BWSSB supplies water to about 12 lakh households daily.</p>.<p><strong>‘Anti-people’</strong></p><p>Former councillor N R Ramesh demanded the immediate withdrawal of this provision that allows automatic revision, stating that it is anti-people. “After the Siddaramaiah-led government came to power, BWSSB has already increased the water tariff by 31.25% and sanitary cess by 25%. An automatic increase is not just undemocratic but amounts to daylight robbery of citizens of Bengaluru,” he said.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Come April 1, monthly water bills in Bengaluru are set to go up by 3%.</p>.<p>Exactly a year after increasing the water tariff by a whopping 32%, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has decided to adopt a new system where the water bill goes up by 3% every year to “offset the increase in expenditure”. This is a major policy shift for the water board with some political leaders terming the automatic increase “anti-people” while demanding its immediate withdrawal.</p>.<p>In the notification issued last year, BWSSB had revised water and sanitation tariff for all consumers, a decision it took after 12 years following an approval of the state government. In the same notification, BWSSB had also announced that a 3% automatic annual increase in water tariffs will be rolled out on April 1 every year.</p>.<p>Speaking to DH, BWSSB chairman Dr Ramprasat Manohar V, confirmed that the 3% increase would come into effect on April 1. The Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission, he said, had recommended a 5% automatic annual increase in water tariff every year. “The water board has reduced the increase to 3%,” he said.</p>.<p>The hike, Manohar said, is being enforced to tame inflation.</p>.<p>“It factors in the increase in cost of commodities and electricity. Instead of a lumpsum increase in the water bill once in many years, we decided to introduce a revision by a small percentage every year,” he said, adding that the BWSSB continues to be in revenue deficit.</p>.<p>In May 2026, BWSSB had increased the bill by up to 1 paisa per litre for domestic users and up to 1.9 paisa per litre for industries. It had also hiked sanitary charges for borewell users by Rs 30 while it was Rs 125 for non-domestic connections. BWSSB supplies water to about 12 lakh households daily.</p>.<p><strong>‘Anti-people’</strong></p><p>Former councillor N R Ramesh demanded the immediate withdrawal of this provision that allows automatic revision, stating that it is anti-people. “After the Siddaramaiah-led government came to power, BWSSB has already increased the water tariff by 31.25% and sanitary cess by 25%. An automatic increase is not just undemocratic but amounts to daylight robbery of citizens of Bengaluru,” he said.</p>