KARACHI, June 23: The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board has increased the water and sewerage tariff by nine per cent for all categories of its consumers, except for those residing in flats, with effect from July 1.
KWSB Managing-Director Suleiman Chandio told Dawn on Monday that a proposal aimed at enhancing the water and sewerage tariff was submitted to the provincial government last week and the Sindh Minister for Local Government, Agha Siraj Durrani, who is also chairman of the KWSB, has now approved the new rates in light of the Sindh cabinet’s decision of 2001, whereby the KWSB was authorized to revise the water tariff by eight to nine per cent not only in the year 2002-03, but also in the subsequent years as well.
The KWSB had last increased the water and sewerage tariff for domestic consumers in 2001-02 and for bulk consumers in 1998.
Divulging the details, he said that since the water and sewerage tariffs have been merged, all consumers will have to pay 25 per cent of their total monthly water bills as sewerage charges.
Flats exempted
He said that the enhanced rates will, however, not be applicable to apartments, irrespective of their size and covered areas because in most of the cases, it is people belonging to the low and middle-income groups that reside in apartments.
Bulk consumers
Water tariff for different categories of bulk consumers have also been increased from July 1 and as such, the domestic (metered) consumers will now be charged at the rate of Rs48 for 1,000 gallons as against the existing rate of Rs44/1,000 gallons, while the industrial consumers will be charged at the rate of Rs80 per 1,000 gallons as compared to existing Rs73/1,000 gallons. Besides, 25 per cent of the total water charges of domestic (metered), industrial and commercial consumers will be levied on the bills of these categories of consumers under the head of sewerage charges.
Referring to an earlier gazette notification of the Sindh government (dated Oct 4, 2001), he said that the sewerage tariff is applied to all the bulk and retail water consumers, all the constituent bodies, industrial units and agencies under the control of the government, irrespective of their location, who are discharging their sewerage either through the KWSB’s sewerage system or through any other system directly or indirectly, collectively or individually anywhere.
Disconnection drive
The KWSB has decided to launch its water disconnection campaign from Tuesday against its various defaulting bulk consumers belonging to both the federal and Sindh governments and major industrial units.
The KWSB MD told Dawn that the utility has no choice but to disconnect the water connections of its defaulting bulk consumers in order to recover its dues from them, which had already soared to over Rs4 billion.
He said that the KESC, through a notice, has already warned the KWSB that it will disconnect the electricity connections of water installations if its outstanding electricity bills were not cleared within seven days.
Asked how much under the head of water and sewerage charges is outstanding against various departments and organizations of both the federal and Sindh governments, he said that it comes to around Rs4 billion, whereas the KESC charges against the KWSB which had been accumulating in the previous years has gone to as high as Rs4.75 billion.
To another query, he said that the major government organizations and departments of both the federal and Sindh governments which owed Rs4b to the KWSB include Port Qasim, different federal and Sindh ministries, cantonment boards, etc.
Monthly Tariff
Sr. Category Water
No.
1. Domestic un-metered (Sq. yards) (In Rupees)
(New) (Existing)
Upto 60 28.34 (26.00)
Upto 61 to 120 37.06 (34.00)
Upto 121 to 200 55.59 (51.00)
Upto 201 to 300 83.93 (77.00)
Upto 301 to 400 120.99 (111.00)
Upto 401 to 600 175.49 (161.00)
Upto 601 to 1000 249.61 (229.00)
Upto 1001 to 1500 525.38 (482.00)
Upto 1501 to 2000 673.62 (618.00)
Upto 2001 to 2500 857.83 (787.00)
Upto 2501 to 3000 1,086.73 (997.00)
Upto 3001 to 3500 1,326.53 (1,217.00)
Upto 3501 to 4000 1,576.14 (1,446.00)
Upto 4001 to 4500 1,842.10 (1,690.00)
Upto 4501 to 5000 2,173.46 (1,994.00)
Above 5000 2,514.63 (2,307.00)
Dear visitor, the comments section is undergoing an overhaul and will return soon.