Bengaluru water supply board moots 30% hike, Karnataka government may not agree

BENGALURU: Your monthly water bill could shoot up by 30% if the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board - the service provider for the city - secures the government's nod to formalise its tariff revision.
With the BBMP elections due in 2-3 months, the Karnataka government may sit on the hike proposal - coming after a gap of six years - or effect a token increase.
Tariff revision will give us relief, says BWSSB official
A senior BWSSB officer said the proposal is due to high costs in providing water and sanitary services. “Nearly 50% of our revenue goes towards the electricity charges, and the rest for network maintenance and wage bills, among other things. With no tariff revision and fund shortage, we’re forced to borrow from financial agencies. Tariff revision will give us relief,” he added.
According to the officer, power tariff is revised every two years, increasing the burden on them. Water-pumping operation costs Rs 50 crore a month and the BWSSB’s revenue is about Rs 110 crore.
A 2019 proposal to raise tariff by 10%-20% was rejected by the board keeping in mind the interests of consumers. “The financial situation now is so bad that we’ve to increase the tariff,” a source said. A BWSSB officer said the proposal has three options: To pay all borrowings and manage costs; clear only external borrowings; pay only recurring annual maintenance charges.