Water tariff may be hiked by as much as 160% in Noida
The Noida authority said that without hiking the water tariff, the officials won’t be able to meet the expenses of the department
The Noida authority on Tuesday said it has decided to increase the water tariff with an aim to increase its revenue.
The authority officials said that without an increase in tariff, it will be difficult for them to meet the expenditure of the water department. The authority is mulling a proposal to approve a hike of up to 160% from the coming financial year. However, the exact increase in the tariff is yet to be finalized.
It has hired Ernst and Young, a private agency, to prepare a report detailing by how much the water tariff should be hiked so that the revenue can be increased.
“The private agency is surveying and discussing the tariff with us to finalise the exact hike to be implemented. We cannot say how much the hike will be before it is finalised,” SC Arora, senior project engineer, Noida authority, said.
Currently, the authority charges Rs 175 per month from a middle income group (MIG) flat owner; Rs 210 per month from a high income group flat owner; and, Rs 260 from a duplex flat owner. An owner of a 200 square metre plot pays Rs 250 per month and the authority charges Rs 470 per month from the owner of a 350 sqm plot.
The Noida authority had in July 1, 2013, hiked drinking water rates by up to 75%. Before that, it had revised the water tariff in 2003.
“We will be increasing the water tariff after a gap four years as increasing our revenue is a priority now to meet our expenses,” Arora said.
The authority is also mulling a proposal to provide multiple water connections to a house.
“Different families are living on each floor, but the water connection is still a single one. Therefore, the authority aims to give more than one connection on a plotted house,” a Noida authority official said.
Read I Cleaning of Upper Ganga Canal begins, no water supply till Oct 21: Jal Nigam
Residents are likely to oppose the proposed hike in water tariff.
“The Noida authority must focus on improving the quality of water supplied instead of proposing a tariff hike. We will oppose a hike as it will put a financial burden on residents,” AN Dhawan, general secretary, Federation of Noida RWAs, said.
According to officials, Noida is expected to have a population of 21 lakh by 2021, up from its current population of 16 lakh.
The total present demand of water in Noida is 332 MLD (million litres per day). The estimated drinking water demand in Noida by 2021 will be 590 MLD. The Noida authority also procures groundwater to mix with the Ganga water in order to meet the demand. The authority supplies 56% Ganga water and 44% groundwater.