Water gets pricier in Bengaluru: BWSSB hikes tariff by 1 paisa/litre

BENGALURU: After nearly three months of deliberations and mixed signals, the govt is finally going ahead with a hike in water tariffs, with the new rates kicking in from April 1. An official order is expected to be issued Tuesday.

BWSSB had submitted a proposal seeking to raise water charges by up to 8 paise per litre, citing the increase in the costs of pumping, treatment, and distribution. The govt opted for a more modest increase, approving a hike of up to 1 paisa per litre for residential connections, including high-rises. Bulk commercial and industrial users will have to 0.9 paise more per litre.

Ram Prasath Manohar, Chairman, BWSSB, said the tariffs are not very high, especially for residential connections. "I don't see it being a challenge for the residents at all, we have been very careful about the tariffs because we do not want to burden the citizens," Manohar said.

"Even for apartment complexes, the tariffs will be low, and this is primarily because we want to ensure everybody gets the facilities but also become accountable and more responsible for the usage of water," he added.

The new tariffs will apply to April consumption, and consumers will get the bills with revised tariffs in the first week of May. While officials say the increase is necessary to avoid a financial crisis at BWSSB, the public response has been sharp. Many residents of the city felt the govt should first fix leakages in the distribution system and improve metering before passing the higher costs onto consumers.

Critics, especially from opposition parties and civic groups, have accused the state govt of pushing through the hike under the radar and at the start of the new financial year — a move they call "daylight robbery."

When 40% of the city's water is sourced from borewells and BBMP and BWSSB don't earn any revenue from it, one must ask — where is the increased money really going? There's a huge tanker water business operating almost unchecked, making obscene profits. There's actually enough water for everyone at an affordable price. So, increasing the tariff is simply not justified
-Vijayan Menon, Citizens' Action Forum, Bengaluru

When we witness the steady rise in prices of essentials like milk, petrol, diesel, and metro fares, the recent increase in the cost by 1 paisa per litre of water, which was at Rs 7 for 8000 litres adds to the burden. Water, a fundamental necessity, is now becoming a luxury, straining the monthly budgets of every household. Despite using water frugally, this hike will undeniably escalate monthly expenses, impacting us all significantly

-Vinod Jacob, Namma Bengaluru Foundation

The issue needs to be looked at holistically. BWSSB only charges for service right now and not for water. However, it doesn't make any sense for them to increase the water charges and allow for indiscriminate digging of borewells. All moves to deter water wastage is appreciated and not in isolation

-Sneha Nandihal, I Change Indiranagar

The govt is trying to pass on the exorbitant price and burden on the apartment consumers by doing fancy projects like bringing Cauvery water all the way from Mysore whereas Bengaluru has abundant water in the form of lakes and rainwater which is not utilised properly. Also, even though the apartment residents are sharing resources, they are once again charged differently from the independent houses

-Abdul Aleem, Change Makers of Kanakapura Road