E-Paper
Bulk water to cost more in Haryana from August 1
Effecting an upward revision of tariff for bulk usage of surface water, the Haryana Water Resources Authority has ordered a 300% hike for drinking water, including bulk supply to railways and the army
Effecting an upward revision of tariff for bulk usage of surface water, the Haryana Water Resources Authority (HWRA) has ordered a 300% hike for drinking water, including the bulk supply to railways and the army. No revision of the tariff has been ordered for surface and treated water used for irrigation by the agriculture sector.
As per the fresh tariff notified on July 15 by the HWRA, bulk water for drinking purposes will cost ₹100 per 100 cubic metre from this August 1 as against the existing tariff of ₹25 per 100 cubic metre. A cubic metre equals 1,000 litres of water. Officials though maintained that the retail consumers or the common consumer were unlikely to be immediately impacted by the increased bulk water tariff. “Unless the retail water charges of the public health engineering department are increased, the common man won’t get affected,’’ said an official.
The bulk water tariff for beverages and bottled water industry has also been hiked from ₹2,000 per 100 cubic metre to ₹4,000 per 100 cubic metre. It has been increased from ₹1,000 per 100 cubic metre to ₹2,000 per 100 cubic metre for industries, power plants and bulk users. The tariff has been hiked from ₹750 per 100 cubic metre to ₹1,500 per cubic metre for bulk usage by railways and army. The increase in bulk water tariff for brick making and construction has been from ₹1,500 per 100 cubic metre to ₹3,000 per cubic metre, the order said. The bulk water tariff for treated wastewater has also been increased from ₹2 per kilolitre to ₹4 per kilolitre at the site of the sewage treatment plant and from ₹3 to ₹5 per kilolitre at the doorstep. A kilolitre has 1,000 litres.
The HWRA headed by the former chief secretary, Keshni Anand Arora in its July 15 order said that the general principles for fixation of water tariffs were cost recovery, reasonability, water use efficiency and social equity. “The tariff of the bulk water should at least recover operation, maintenance, depreciation and interest cost, if not the whole costs. However, it would involve increasing the tariff manifold. Therefore, HWRA is constrained to restrict the steep hike in the proposal and recommend tariffs which are lower than those proposed by the irrigation department,’’ the order said.
‘Hike to help generate revenue, bring economic efficiency’
It further said the primary objective for the hike in bulk water tariff is increasing the revenue for financial sustainability of irrigation system and promoting economic efficiency in the use of water. Efficient water use efficiency is an essential part of water consumption and should become a part of the behavioural change of the bulk water users, the authority said.
‘Tariff increase will discourage water wastage’
The authority while justifying the hike said that the increase in bulk tariff will help in curbing uncontrolled water use and discourage the wastage of water. “It would also encourage the use of treated wastewater, especially in the industry and power sector. It would also provide adequate funds for maintenance and repair of water resources projects as expenditure on irrigation management is more than the recovery of water charges. This paradoxical situation has been adversely impacting the performance of existing and new projects,” it said.
Farm sector spared from the hike
The HWRA order said that the bulk tariff for irrigation purposes for the agricultural sector is not revised at this stage considering the conditions of the farmers and food security. Since no change in bulk water tariff pertaining to other states and fish ponds has been proposed by the irrigation and water resources department, the authority has agreed to keep these rates as unchanged, it said,
Officials said that as per the state law, the HWRA has to decide on the tariff for bulk water usage of surface and treated wastewater on the principles of economy, efficiency, equity and sustainability. “The tariff shall be based on volumetric measurements of water consumption and shall be designed reasonably. The authority also recommends to the government retail rates of water for individual households, industry or commercial establishments,’’ officials said. An appeal can be preferred to the state government on tariff decided by the authority within 30 days from the date of such decision.
