Water prices to go up

The authorities have decided to increase water prices by 5 percent for households and commercial customers in the capital to offset its higher production and operating costs, officials said yesterday.
Households will have to pay Tk 7.34 per 1,000 litres of water, which is now Tk 6.99. Commercial customers will have to pay Tk 24.44 from Tk 23.28 for the same amount of water.
The new rates will come into effect from July 1 and will also be applicable to all non-meter holdings and under-construction buildings, according to Dhaka Wasa (Water Supply & Sewerage Authority).
"This is, however, not a hike of water prices. It is an adjustment to the inflation, which we do every year," Taqsem A Khan, managing director of Dhaka Wasa, told The Daily Star yesterday.
Dhaka Wasa supplies water to 3.25 lakh customers, serving a population of about 12.5 million in the capital.