New water tariff to pile agony on consumers

Water for the domestic use will be expensive as the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) has increased the tariff.

“The caretaker Punjab government has approved the increase in rates,” Wasa Managing Director Ghufran Ahmed said. He said for three to five marla houses, the tariff had been increased from Rs375 to Rs938.

The tariff for five to seven marla houses had been increased from Rs463 to Rs1,160, he said, adding the monthly tariff for seven to 10 marla houses was Rs1,383 after a Rs830 increase and for 10 to 15 marla houses, Rs642 to Rs1,603.

The monthly tariff for the use of water for 15 to 20 marla houses had been raised to Rs2,183, while the new tariff for one to two kanal houses had been set at Rs2,765.

The new tariff for two kanal and bigger houses had been raised from Rs1,570 to Rs3,925.

The Wasa MD said the new tariffs had been approved first time since 2004 due to various financial matters, including payment of salaries and electricity bills. The implementation of the new water tariff would begin upon approval of the caretaker Punjab cabinet, he concluded.