Water tariff to burden industry sector in Bengaluru, says industry body

Bengaluru water tariff hike impacts industry, with significant increases in rates for bulk water consumption, causing financial strain.

The hike in water tariff in Bengaluru will pinch the industry sector consuming Cauvery water in bulk volumes, say industry insiders. Industrialists said that although the hike may look minimal per litre, it translates to making a huge difference for the large volumes of water industries consume.

For the industry and bulk consumption, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has increased the rate by 0.90 paisa per litre. The industry insiders said that earlier the industries were paying ₹90 per one kilolitre and now it will increase by ₹10.

M.G. Balakrishna, President, Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FKCCI), talking to The Hindu, said the increase will burn the pockets as industry consumption is large. The average minimum consumption of small-scale industries in the city is 50,000 litres, and the medium industries are 1 lakh litres per day. This means earlier ₹9,000 was charged for consuming one lakh litres, and now industries have to pay ₹10,000. For a month, this will translate to ₹30,000 more in water bills, which is not a small hike, he said.

Mr. Balakrishna further said the average per day consumption of large-scale industries is more than two lakh litres. “When the hike is seen at a per-litre scale, it may look small, it is not even a paisa, but in reality it is huge,” he said.

While the water tariff for domestic connections varies from 0.15 paise to 1 paisa, what inflates the bill by a big margin is the hike in sanitary charges from 25% of water charges to 50% of water charges. Adding to this will be the meter charges of ₹30. Thus, if a house’s consumption is 8,000 kilolitres, the water bill will go from ₹100 to ₹132. For a consumption of 50,000 kilolitres, the highest slab for domestic connections, the bill is likely to jump from ₹1,191 to ₹1,809.