RAWALPINDI: The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) has increased the water charges for domestic and commercial consumers by 10.33 pc for the next six months while terming increased charges of electricity bills.

The former Punjab caretaker government permitted increasing water charges twice a year for the adjustment of fuel charges including petrol and electricity. In 2023, water rates increased for all five major cities of the province including Rawalpindi, Lahore, Multan, Gujranwala and Faisalabad. Moreover, water supply rates for a three-marla house increased from Rs400 to Rs440 and for a five-marla house, from Rs700 to Rs770 per month.

Earlier, Rs120 per month was being charged from consumers owning five marla houses.

A senior Wasa official told Dawn that the former Punjab cabinet allowed the five Wasas of the province to adjust the prices of water charges as per fuel prices. “It is not necessary that the water charges will increase. They might decrease after six months, as per rates of petrol, diesel and electricity tariff,” he said. He said that the water rates had not increased in Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Multan and Fasialabad since 2008. The provincial government permitted this move in 2023.

He said that it was demand of the Wasas of the five major cities to increase the water tariff to meet the expenses of the civic agencies especially after increase in electricity charges. The electricity bills of tube wells increased manifold in the last 15 years.

He said that there was no direct funding for the civic agency and it had to meet the expenses of fuel, electricity and salaries of the employees from the water and sewerage charges. He said that the electricity tariff increased and the salary of employees also increased. It is difficult for civic agencies to manage their expenditures to run the tube wells and pumping stations as well as filtration plants, he said.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2024