KARACHI, Feb 13: Industry leaders have strongly denounced the recent hike in water charges by the Karachi Water & Sewerage Board (KWSB) for industrial consumers from the current month.

According to a recent KWSB notification, water tariff for industrial consumers has been increased from Rs158 to Rs173 per thousand gallons, resulting in an increase of 9.5 per cent in the water budget of industrial units.

Industry leaders were critical of the move and said that the KWSB had been frequently increasing water charges for the last two years whereas water tariffs in other provinces are much lower.

Dr Arshad Vohra chairman SITE Association of Trade and Industry told Dawn that industrial activity was already shrinking due to non-availability of gas, power, extremely poor law and order situation and frequent shut downs because of strike calls. “Higher water charges ill badly affect those industries in particular which are involved in processing of value-addition in textile sector,” he said.

He said that there was no justification for upward revision frequently when water charges in other provinces are still around Rs52 to Rs53 per thousand gallons. “It seems that the KWSB is determined to hurt Karachi based industry by over burdening it with higher water tariffs,” he noted.

Mohammad Zubair Chaya chairman Korangi Association Trade and Industry (KATI) said that KWSB in September 2010 enhanced water charges to Rs119 per thousand gallons and within one year another hike was enforced in November 2011 to Rs145 per thousand gallons.

“Unfortunately, that was not the end of the discriminatory attitude of the KWSB towards city industry. Within eight months, in July 2012 a third hike was made by fixing water charges at Rs158 per thousand gallons or a 9 per cent increase,” he informed.

However, the latest increase in water charges came within a period of seven months as the KWSB fixed new tariff at Rs173 per thousand gallons or 9.5 per cent increase over the previous charges of Rs158 per thousand gallons.

Even after making rapid increase in water charges the KWSB fails to provide uninterrupted water supply to industry which have to depend on water tankers who make exorbitant charges, he lamented.

Mehtabuddin Chawla former chairman SITE Super Highway said that the KWSB instead of setting its own house in order is burdening regular payers of water bills and this had been admitted by the water board on many occasions.

He said that high officials of KWSB often complain that only 20 per cent of water consumers pay their bills and remaining 80 per cent do not pay against their consumption.