The Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) will soon hike water tariffs to manage its rising expenses, Chairman Ram Prasath Manohar announced on Wednesday. The revised rates will be officially notified on April 10.

Addressing the media, Manohar noted that Bengaluru’s fast-paced growth over the last decade, in terms of both population and area, has significantly increased the Board’s operating costs. He noted that BWSSB, which doesn’t receive government subsidies and depends mainly on water charges for revenue, is struggling to keep up with expenses.

“In the last 10 years, electricity costs have jumped by 107%, and maintenance costs by 122.5%. While our monthly expenses are around ₹200 crore, we’re only able to collect ₹120 crore. That’s a shortfall of ₹80 crore every month,” he said.

To close this gap and enhance services, BWSSB is planning what it calls a "modest and reasonable" tariff revision.
Starting April 10, Bengalureans will have to pay more for their water bills as the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has proposed a hike in tariffs to cover rising operational costs. For domestic users, the increase ranges from ₹0.15 per litre for up to 8,000 litres to ₹1 per litre for usage above 50,000 litres. High-rise apartments will see a hike of ₹0.30 per litre up to 2 lakh litres, ₹0.60 per litre for 2–5 lakh litres, and ₹1 per litre beyond that.

Domestic users and bulk consumers will face a flat hike of ₹0.90 per litre, while specific slabs include ₹1 more per litre up to 10,000 litres, ₹1.30 per litre for 10,001–25,000 litres, ₹1.50 per litre for 25,001–50,000 litres, ₹1.90 per litre for 50,001–75,000 litres, ₹1.10 per litre for 75,001–1,00,000 litres, and ₹1.20 per litre for usage beyond 1,00,000 litres.

The revised rates will be reflected in bills issued in May. Also, BWSSB will introduce an annual 3% tariff hike every April, following recommendations by the Karnataka State Administrative Reforms Commission, to ensure financial stability and improve water services in the city.

 

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