Water tariff goes up by 50 per cent

Nepal Drinking Water Corporation has hiked water tariff by about 50 per cent effective from tomorrow.

Citing the soaring costs due to increased inflation over the year, the corporation has hiked the tariff for the first time in nine years.
Water Tariff Fixation Commission – issuing a public notice today – said that the new tariff rates will come into effect from Falgun across the country.

As per the new rate, each service seeker now has to pay Rs 110 per unit from the current Rs 50. Earlier, it had proposed the commission to set the tariff at Rs 125 per unit. The corporation had proposed an almost 60 per cent hike.

Likewise, the corporation has also increased charges for drinking water supplied through tanker services. For 5,000 liters of water, consumers will have to pay Rs 1,950, almost 50 per cent more than the current rate.
In the last nine years, fuel prices have almost doubled and salaries of the employees have also increased several times based on inflation, forcing the corporation to jack up the tariff, the corporation said, adding that without the increase it has become difficult to maintain the operational costs.

The increase in the water charges is only to maintain the operational cost of the corporation, it claimed, stating that the corporation is already in loss.

The corporation supplies drinking water in 19 municipalities including Pokhara, Biratnagar and Birgunj, and one village development committee (VDC) in the country, at present.

Though the corporation has promised to improve the quality of drinking water with the hike in charges, it is still difficult to meet water supply demands.