Water bills are likely to rise in India’s startup capital, as the water supply department looks to combat rising costs and a significant revenue deficit, Ram Prasath Manohar, Chairman of the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) told reporters on April 9.
The BWSSB is likely to revise water tariffs to offset its balloning expenditure, and an official order notifying the new rates is likely to be released today, on April 10, according to Manohar.
Why Bengaluru Water Dept Wants to Hike Charges?
“Bengaluru has seen rapid growth in population and geographic spread over the past 10 years. BWSSB, an autonomous body without government subsidies, relies heavily on water charges as its primary source of revenue,” Manohar said.
He gave a comparison to other utility costs, stating that in the past decade, electricity costs have risen by 107 per cent, while maintenance expenses have increased by 122.5 per cent Manohar further noted that while the body has a monthly expenditure of ₹200 crore, the Board currently collects ₹120 crore, resulting in a monthly deficit of ₹80 crore.
“To bridge this financial gap and improve service delivery, a rational and modest tariff revision has been proposed,” he added.
How Will Bengaluru Water Tariff Hike Increase Your Bills?
According to Manohar, under the domestic category, the proposed tariff hike includes an increase of 0.15 paise per litre, for up to 8,000 litres. For 8,001 to 25,000 litres, an increase of 0.30 paise per litre and between 25,001 and 50,000 litres, an increase of 0.80 paise per litre and above 50,001 litres, an increase of Re 1 per litre are proposed.
For high-rise domestic buildings, till 2,00,000 litres, an increase of 0.30 paise per litre is proposed. While 2,00,001 to 5,00,000 litres, will see an increase of 0.60 paise per litre and above 5,00,001 litres, an increase of Re 1 per litre.
For non-domestic usage, a flat hike of 0.90 paise per litre is proposed for bulk usage. While up to 10,000 litres will cost Re 1 per litre more and from 10,001 to 25,000 litres, ₹1.30 per litre. Between 25,001 and 50,000 litres, an increase of 1.50 paise per litre is proposed. For 50,001 to 75,000 litres, there will be an increase of 1.90 paise per litre. But for 75,001 to 1,00,000 litres, the hike is only ₹1.10 per litre and above 1,00,000 litres, it is ₹1.20 paise per litre, said Manohar.
He also said following the recommendations of the Karnataka State Administrative Reforms Commission, BWSSB has decided to adopt an annual 3 per cent increase in water tariff starting April 1 every year. The revised tariff will reflect in bills issued from May onwards.
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