LAHORE: People in five major cities of Punjab are likely to face massive disruption in water supply services in the summer, as water and sanitation agencies (Wasas) are unable to pay their monthly electricity bills that may force their power distribution companies to disconnect tube well connections.

The situation started worsening in December last after the government abolished monthly and annual subsidies on Wasa, directing their heads to create resources for operations, it is learnt.

“Since December last, we’ve been in troubles, as the government neither allows us to increase water tariff nor make other arrangement to handle the situation,” a senior official told Dawn. “Instead, strengthening financially, they weakened Wasas by abolishing subsidies for them.

“The situation is so tough now that we’re gradually becoming unable to even pay monthly bills of our tube wells. Power companies may disconnect power supply due to non-payment of bills that would lead to a severe disruption in water supply to millions of people in Lahore, Multan, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad.”

Since 2013 to December 2018, the Punjab government released subsidies to all Wasas for not increasing water supply and sanitation charges and some other relief related to operational cost. In the same period, the agencies also requested the PML-N government many a time to allow them increase tariff but they were not allowed to do so. The PTI government started stopped all sorts of subsidies to Wasas, including Rs180 million monthly subsidy to Lahore Wasa, and about Rs2.2 billion monthly to Faisalabad Wasa.

“When Wasa units were expecting increase in subsidies, the government stopped them. And now the government is not even allowing them to increase tariff,” said the official.

He said power supply companies - the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) and the Faisalabad Electric Supply Company - increased tube well connection tariff to Rs21 from Rs13 per unit.

According to the Lesco chief executive officer, tariff on all Wasa owned tube wells was not increased. “Actually, Wasa tube wells in Lahore were previously being billed under B-2 category that is allowed for the industrial connections alone. This category gets Rs3 per unit relief in bills under the Prime Minister’s Support Programme for the industry. The tube wells installed and operated by Wasa do not fall under industry. So, I changed the category for such connections and started billing them under a new category,” Lesco chief Mujahid Pervaiz Chatha explained.

So after change in category, Rs5 per unit and Rs2 fuel adjustment charges were added to bills.

After adding taxes, one unit is Rs21. He said he also did the same in Fesco where tube well connections were also being billed under B-2 category. “I will check it again and tell you in more detail on Monday,” he added.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2019