The latest hike in power tariff has left the loss-making Bangalore Water Supply and Sewage Board (BWSSB) in a fix. The board, which hasn’t raised the water tariff for the past six years, is set to widen the losses due to a 25-paise per unit hike in power tariff for water supply installations.
A source in the BWSSB revealed to DH that the power tariff hike announced by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) would cause the water board a loss of Rs 10-15 crore every month. According to a senior engineer in the BWSSB, the board pays about Rs 46 crore in electricity bills each month just for pumping water. The monthly bill goes up to about Rs 55 crore when BWSSB offices and other installations are included.
