RAWALPINDI: Residents of the cantonment areas, already paying higher water tariffs compared to those living in the city, will pay even more from January 1 after a 25 per cent increase comes into effect.

Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) is making a 25 per cent increase for domestic consumers. However the raise would not be applicable on commercial users.

Difference in tariffs for citizens of cantonment and city areas came about when the Punjab government stopped the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) from raising water charges in the city areas.

The RCB on the other hand which falls under the federal government went ahead with the raise.

 RCB Cantonment Executive Officer Fahim Zafar Khan told Dawn: “We have not increased water charges for the last three years and under the law the rates can be revised after three years. During this period, electricity tariff increased manifold, and there was a dire need to revise water charges as well,” he added.

 According to the new rates, a five-marla house will be charged Rs250 per month instead of Rs200, a seven-marla house Rs375 instead of the old rate of Rs300 and the owner of a 10-marla house will pay Rs480 instead of Rs390.

 On the other hand, charges for water supply to domestic consumers in the city areas is much lower at Rs90 per month for a five-marla house.  

“The government stopped Wasa from increasing water charges and rejected the civic agency’s request last year as people are already facing economic hardship,” the agency’s managing director, Raja Shaukat Mehmood, told Dawn.

 He said water was being supplied to consumers through limited resources. The government asked Wasa to improve the recovery rate and bring all illegal water users into the tax net instead of increasing water charges, he said.

PML-N MNA from NA-54 Cantonment area Malik Abrar criticised the decision of the RCB and said rather than increasing water charges, supply should be improved.

 He said many areas in the cantonment were without water supply, especially during summer, adding that he would soon raise the issue with the cantonment authorities.

Former MNA from Rawalpindi’s NA-55 constituency Malik Shakil Awan told Dawn that Wasa had increased water tariff in 2011. He managed to convince the Punjab chief minister to provide Rs50 million annually to the civic agency to supply water to the residents at subsidised rates.

He said the Punjab government had stopped the civic agency from increasing the charges and instead provided additional funds.

“Cantonment authorities have already increased property tax to 15 per cent for civilian residents and the PML-N government will face criticism if the water tariff is also increased,” he added.

Published in Dawn December 22th , 2014