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According to WASA, the monthly charges for a seven-marla house have surged to Rs1,500 per month from Rs500, while those for a 10-marla property now stand at Rs1,800 from Rs650, and for one kanal property, they have risen to Rs3,000 from Rs1,300.
The ‘BIG’ rise in tariff rates by WASA has been attributed to rising operational costs.
The substantial hike in WASA bills has been met with strong opposition from the people of Pakistan, who are already grappling with the severe economic challenges that have been imposed upon them.
Expressing their deep concerns, individuals like Muhammad Naseer have pointed out that the cost of living has skyrocketed due to the surging prices of electricity, petroleum, and other essential commodities. They have underscored the need for the government and its institutions to display greater empathy towards the hardships faced by the citizens.
In Lahore, the residents have not stayed silent in the face of this staggering 200% increase in bills. They had hoped that the Caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab, Mohsin Naqvi, would take swift action and provide some relief or subsidies to the people of Lahore.
However, their voices have seemingly fallen on deaf ears, and to date, there has been no relief or intervention from the Caretaker Chief Minister to alleviate the burden imposed by these escalated bills.
WASA is estimated to furnish drinking water and sewage services to around eight million residents in Lahore, while an additional 4.5 million people receive their water from alternative sources. The agency currently allocates 70 gallons of water per individual each day, accommodating a vast network of 56,000 commercial and numerous domestic water connections throughout Lahore.
However, it should be noted that merely 25,000 of these connections are equipped with water meters for billing based on actual consumption, while others are billed on an average basis.
WASA operates with an annual budget of roughly Rs18 billion, yet its income stands at Rs14.5 billion, resulting in a deficit of Rs3.5 billion.
WASA had previously presented proposals for water bill increases on numerous occasions, but such decisions were avoided until recently when a summary was submitted to the caretaker government as a measure to address the financial crisis.
The proposal was subsequently approved by the caretaker cabinet, and the increased WASA bills took effect from July 1, placing an additional financial burden on citizens who were already grappling with soaring inflation rates.
According to WASA, the monthly charges for a seven-marla house have surged to Rs1,500 per month from Rs500, while those for a 10-marla property now stand at Rs1,800 from Rs650, and for one kanal property, they have risen to Rs3,000 from Rs1,300.
In response, Ghafran Ahmed, the Managing Director of WASA, acknowledged that the organization was grappling with a deficit of Rs3.5 billion in its Rs18 billion annual budget.
While the MD stated that the bill increases had been authorized by the Caretaker Punjab government, sources suggested that commercial connections had experienced tariff hikes earlier.
