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Rates of tankers fixed as Bengaluru water crisis continues
The Karnataka government capped private water tanker rates in Bengaluru after multiple complaints of exorbitant rates.
The Karnataka government on Thursday capped private water tanker rates in Bengaluru after multiple complaints of exorbitant rates, as the tech hub continued to grapple with one of its worst water shortages in recent years.
According to a circular issued by deputy commissioner KA Dayananda, the state government fixed prices for more than 200 private water tankers deployed to supply water in the city on a contractual basis, depending on the distance to be covered and size of the tanker, and said the services will be subjected to Goods and Services Tax (GST).
“Bengaluru city and Bengaluru rural district have been notified as drought hit districts. And to mitigate the crisis, we are ordering 200 private water tankers to be given to Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewage Board on temporary contract for a period of four months. Since the water tanker prices are skyrocketing, in the interest of public, we have decided to cap the price for water tankers,” the circular, which was issued on the request of the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), said.
Bengaluru, one of India’s bonafide metropolitan cities with a population of above 13 million, is staring down the barrel of an unprecedented water crisis, and its administration and people have been left scrambling. Tankers laden with water are seen entering and exiting gates, buzzing around the city, answering panicked calls, and charging exorbitant rates, ranging from ₹500 to ₹2,000 for a tanker.
According to the circular issued earlier in the day, a 6,000 litre tanker travelling for a distance of 5km will cost ₹600. Likewise, a 8,000 litre tanker and a 12,000 litre tanker will cost ₹700 and ₹1,000, respectively, for the same distance.
For a distance ranging between 5km and 10km, the rates have been fixed at ₹750 (6,000 litres), ₹850 ( 8,000 litres) and ₹1,200 (12,000 litres).
The circular added that the services by the private water tankers, deployed by the administration to tackle the crisis, will fall under the GST ambit.
Rapid, untrammeled growth and complete disregard of the city’s natural water bodies, although the trigger is the failure, in Karnataka, of both the southwest and the northeast monsoon, have resulted in the water shortage in the city.
According to chief minister Siddaramaiah, of the 236 taluks in the state, 223 have been drought-hit, with 219 severely affected.
