Water tariff hike

Water supply in the city has remained despicably erratic as it is, punctuated with occasional flows of putrid liquid that is not fit for human consumption. Now, to make matters sad to tragic, the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) has raised tariff by a whopping 22 percent in six months. We are aghast at the fresh hike in water for we believe it will hit the average customers hard, especially those already battered by an increase in tariff in other services. 

Also, we find it difficult to decipher as to how the said raise will address the reported corruption in the lower tier of the WASA or curb the so-called system loss that is primarily to be blamed for distribution inefficiency and pilferage that have taken a firm footing in the system. Not to mention the bureaucratic sloth that runs supreme. 

We are perplexed by the way the average consumers are being squeezed in this fashion. It is industrial practice among service providers to hold public hearings before slapping a price hike; we find it inconceivable as to why the WASA has excused itself from such a time-tested norm. Especially when the enhanced water price does not seem to bring improved quality of service, nor will it remove the perennial scourge of unpleasant substance from tap water. 

We understand that the state is not expected to provide subsidies for a long time. Having said that, any new tariff hike must take into consideration the opinion and the size of the coffer of the end users. Also, readjusting the pricing level needs to reflect the quality of service provided.