Source: The Daily Star, 18.07.2022

Dhaka Wasa yesterday proposed resetting its tariffs such that low-income people can get water at a much lower rate than the wealthy.

 

Currently, residential users pay Tk 15.18 for every 1,000 litres (one unit) of water and commercial users Tk 42 -- against Wasa's production cost of Tk 25-26 per unit.

 

Following a technical study in collaboration with Water Aid, Wasa is now proposing splitting the capital into 10 zones, with each zone having a separate tariff.

 

Wasa proposed Tk 37.50 per unit of water for households in upscale residential areas, Tk 31.25 for those in upper-middle-class neighbourhoods and Tk 25 for those in middle-class residential areas.

 

For lower middle-class areas, the tariff would be Tk 18.75 per unit. The low-income people would pay Tk 12.5 each unit.

 

Commercial users will pay Tk 50 per unit but the government organisations would pay at the production cost of Tk 25.

 

According to Wasa's statistics, 0.8 percent of its customers are from upscale residential areas, 1.3 percent from upper-middle-class areas, 4 percent from middle-class areas and 79.4 percent from lower-middle-class areas.

 

With the new proposal, Wasa will be able to level the production cost and selling cost of water and there would not be any need for subsidy, said Md Tahmidul Islam, the technical adviser of Wasa, at an event styled "Fixing of area-based water price of Dhaka Wasa".

 

Wasa must increase water tariff rationally, said Md Tazul Islam, the local government, rural development and co-operatives minister, at the event. "People should not suffer -- Wasa must take that into consideration."

 

No organisation can sustain on subsidy and the production cost cannot be higher than the selling price.

 

"It also needs to be checked whether the water price is going to be increased due to mismanagement or corruption. Corruption will not be tolerated."

 

However, it is necessary to supply water at a lower rate to the low-income people than the wealthy, Islam added.

 

Source Link : www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/wasa-pushes-area-wise-water-tariff-3072961