THE increase in the tariff of supply water for Dhaka by 10 per cent, which will take effect on July 1, would be another burden on people, especially from low- and fixed-income groups, who have already been constrained by soaring inflation. The Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, keeping to a circular that the agency published on May 29, has increased water tariff for household users to Tk 16.70 per 1,000 litres from Tk 15.18 and for commercial users to Tk 46.20 per 1,000 litres from Tk 42. The increase would also apply unmetered holdings, deep tube-wells and under-construction buildings along with all water and sewage charges, including the minimum bill. The agency says that it has increased the tariff keeping to Section 22 of the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority Act 1996 by way of which the agency can increase the tariff if its operating expenses are increased by inflation. What is worrying about this is that authorities believe that inflation, which was 9.71 in April, adds to operating expenses only of various authorities and it does not add to the living cost of citizens. The agency last increased the tariff by 5 per cent in July 2021.
The supply water agency in 2022 tried to increase the water tariff, but the Consumer Association of Bangladesh filed a writ petition with the High Court challenging the validity of the decision and the court on March 16, 2023 declared the tariff increase decision illegal. The Appellate Division, in response to a WASA petition, stayed on March 29, 2023 the High Court鈥檚 verdict until May 29, 2023, asking the authorities not to increase tariff till the day. The lawyer who appeared for the Consumer Association, in such a situation, says that the agency cannot increase the tariff as the issue is still pending with the Appellate Division. The agency increased the tariff for household consumers by 25 per cent, to Tk 14.46 from Tk 11.57, in 2020 after having increased the tariff by 5 per cent for three years since 2017. All this brings to fore another proposition. Why does the Dhaka supply water agency keep facing a growing operating expense so much so that it needs to increase the tariff almost every year? The agency is reported earlier to have been mired in mismanagement, irregularities and even an increased spending on the staff. The agency is also criticised almost every year for not being able to ensure quality and steady supply of water for a long duration. It, therefore, appears inordinate for the agency to increase the water tariff almost every year without minding the issues it needs to as a utility agency 鈥� inefficiency, mismanagement, irregularities, corruption and the supply of water of poor quality and the supply inadequacy.
If the supply water agency, or the government for that matter, does not attend to the issues that add to the operating expenses of the agency, it has not enough reason to increase the water tariff, more when people are already burdened with soaring inflation that the government has failed to tame.