The Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) will revise water tariffs to address its increasing costs, according to Chairman Ram Prasath Manohar. An official order will be issued on April 10.

Manohar explained that Bengaluru has experienced rapid growth in both population and area over the last decade. BWSSB, which operates without government subsidies, depends primarily on water charges for revenue.

Over the past 10 years, electricity costs have risen by 107%, and maintenance expenses have increased by 122.5%. Despite monthly expenses of Rs 200 crore, the board currently collects only Rs 120 crore, resulting in a deficit of Rs 80 crore. To bridge this gap and improve service, a modest tariff increase has been proposed.

The new tariffs include:

• Domestic use: A hike of 0.15 paise per litre for up to 8,000 litres, 0.30 paise per litre for 8,001-25,000 litres, 0.80 paise for 25,001-50,000 litres, and Re 1 per litre for above 50,000 litres.
• High-rise domestic buildings: 0.30 paise per litre for up to 2,00,000 litres, 0.60 paise for 2,00,001-5,00,000 litres, and Re 1 per litre for over 5,00,000 litres.
• Non-domestic use: A flat increase of 0.90 paise per litre for bulk usage, with increases for various usage ranges.

Additionally, BWSSB will implement a 3% annual increase in water tariffs starting each April 1, following recommendations from the Karnataka State Administrative Reforms Commission.

The revised tariffs will appear in bills from May onwards.