Water Tariff Hike In B'luru Is Inevitable, says DK Shivakumar

DK Shivakumar has asked BWSSB, which is incurring loss of Rs 1,000 crore every year, to submit a proposal on water tariff hike to government.

Bengaluru:The water tariffs in Bengaluru are likely to increase soon. Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday said that an upward revision of water tariff in Bengaluru is inevitable, considering the huge financial burden on the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).

Speaking to reporters after chairing a meeting with the officials of BWSSB, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) and Bengaluru Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA) here, Shivakumar said BWSSB has been asked to submit a proposal on water tariff hike to the government. "A final call will be taken after the proposal is submitted," he added.

Shivakumar said that BWSSB has been running under huge losses and no banks are ready to extend loans to take up water connection networks. Moreover, water tariffs have not been hiked since 2014 while power tariffs have gone up three times in this period. "As a result, the BWSSB is facing Rs 1,000 crore loss every year," he added.

The proposal to hike water tariff has been on the cards for the past few months but it is being delayed as BWSSB officials wanted to take all MLAs of the city into confidence before taking the decision. “BWSSB officials have already spoken to all 27 MLAs of the city and apprised them about the necessity to hike water tariffs.

The World Bank has also reportedly recommended a hike in water tariff as a pre-condition to its offer of providing a Rs 3,500 crore loan to BWSSB and BBMP for management of floods, construction of stormwater drains and improving water supply.

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