WASA links water charges to fuel prices

The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) Rawalpindi has linked the water supply and sewerage charges for its customers to the increase and decrease in electricity and petroleum prices following the pattern in Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Multan.

Subject to an increase in electricity and petroleum prices, water supply and sewerage charges will increase at the same rate and vice versa.

After a 20% hike from January to June, another 10% hike has further been implemented for the next six months. Residents have cried out over the heavy bills of water supply and sewage.

Wasa has been facing the worst financial crisis due to a non-increase in water supply and sewerage charges for a long time. In this situation, the new policy approved by the Punjab government has been implemented, which will now increase water supply charges and sewage charges every six months in the context of electricity and petroleum prices, for which domestic water supply will be increased.

The tariff for sewerage charges from three marlas to two kanals of residential properties and beyond two kanals has been increased. The same rule is also applied to commercial and industrial consumers.

After a 20% hike in water supply and sewerage charges in the first phase, a 10% fresh hike has been implemented for the next six months.

Wasa is now charging a Rs462 bill instead of Rs350 for 3-5 marla houses with a 30% increase. Similarly, there has been a total increase of 30% in water supply and sewerage charges for the residents of houses from five marla to two kanal and above besides commercial and industrial customers.

Sources in Wasa said that the water supply and sewage charges had not been increased for the past several years, but due to a continuous increase in electricity and petroleum prices, the agency needed to build its own tube wells, filtration plants and water treatment units.

It became impossible to keep the plant and water tankers functional, they said, adding power disconnections of tube wells had become a routine due to the ever-increasing losses. Due to the increasing losses, a fear prevailed that the agency might have been abandoned. Realising the gravity of the situation, the Punjab government took steps to link the increase in water supply and sewage charges with the increase or decrease in electricity and petroleum prices, the sources added.

On the other hand, citizens Shahid Mehmood, Akbar Malik and Nisar Ahmed are of the view that linking water supply and sewerage charges with the increase in electricity and petroleum prices isn't justified.

Already a wave of inflation has hit the people hard and now the common man has been further burdened with the increase in drinking water and sewage charges every six months, they add.