30 October,2020 07:05 AM IST | Mumbai | A correspondent
More than 53,000 connections use about 277 million litres of water daily. Representation pic
The BMC has proposed a hike in water charge for households using more than the national standard of 150 litres per capita. The Standing Committee on Thursday rejected the proposal for the hike during the pandemic, and sent it back to the administration to consider it again.
If the proposal is sanctioned and implemented, the water price would double for those consuming 150-200 litres per capita, while for those using beyond that would see about a 50 per cent rise in the charge.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) supplies 750 litres of water to each home daily, applying the criteria of 135 litres per person a day and five people per household.
The water production cost Rs 19.44 per 1,000 litres and the BMC charges Rs 5.22 per 1,000 litres. To minimise excessive use of water and to bridge the production-supply cost gap, the BMC in 2008 adopted a policy of Telescopic Rate Structure.
Under which, customers pay Rs 5.22 per 1,000 litres up to 750 litres of water per day, per house, Rs 10.44 for 150 to 200 litres consumption per capita, and Rs 15.66 for use of 200 to 250 litres per capita.
The proposed hike will also apply to buildings that don't have occupation certificates. They currently pay Rs 10.45 per 1,000 litres up to 150 litres, and Rs 20.90 per 1,000 litres for further uses and that would double to Rs 41.80 under the proposed hike. Of the approximate 6,600 connections, 2,550 use more water than the national standards.
A BMC official said, "The water use has been constantly increasing beyond 150 litres per capita and the gap between production cost and charges are also increasing. As per the records, around 40,000 water connections use less than 150 litres and over 53,000 use more than that."
Those within the 150 litres per capita bracket together use about 149 million litres of water every day, while those using above the national standards use about 277 million litres of water daily.
The official said the BMC would earn around Rs 250- Rs 300 crore if the proposal is implemented. In the Standing Committee meeting on Thursday, BJP group leader Prabhakar Shinde raised the matter and opposed the hike.
Ravi Raja, leader of the opposition, demanded to record the proposal, which was sent back to the administration to reconsider.
Also Read: Mumbai: Pay fine or sweep roads if not wearing mask, says BMC
The BMC has proposed to conduct a structural audit of Pali Hill Reservoir on November 3 and 4. The work will lead to low-pressure water supply to Pali Village, New Kantwadi, Sherly Rajan and Pali Pumping Zone, Hanuman Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, Pyari Nagar, Union Park and Carter Road, Chuim Village, Khar Danda. The civic body has appealed to the public to store sufficient water to avoid any issues.
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