Forget free water. Instead brace yourself to shell out more for water. For, Chandigarh Administration is all set to hike the water tariff by 5 per cent . The new hiked rates will be effective from April 1, notification of which will be out this week. Confirming the development, a senior officer of the Chandigarh Administration told The Indian Express, "Yes, rates would be hiked as per the bylaws approved in 2022. The water tariff in each slab, be it residential, commercial or industrial, will be enhanced by 5 per cent. The new rates will be notified soon." It was added, "The water supply department of the civic body is already running in losses and somehow it needs to be maintained." The rates will be enhanced in the backdrop of the free water controversy whereing Aam Aadmi Party and Congress alliance Mayor Kuldeep Kumar Tita had approved free water of 20,000 litres to every family. When contacted, Mayor Tita said, "This is absolutely not done. People are being burdened unnecessarily with more and more charges. You can see the plight as when the resolution had not even gone to the administration and we had resolved, the Administrator had passed a verdict of not allowing it without even looking at it. I will discuss it with the officers." The AAP and Congress had stated that "people are intentionally not being given free water facility so that the credit doesn't go to them just before the elections." How free water row started When the AAP and Congress had resolved the free water agenda on March 11, the next day the UT Administrator had in an event asked the Mayor and Commissioner saying that it is absolutely impossible and had asked them how they would "pay the loan amount for 15 years to the foreign agency by passing this agenda of free water". Administrator Banwarilal Purohit had even told the Mayor that such false promises should not be made to people. The next day mayor and his party leaders did a press conference citing that the Administrator embarassed him publicly and the MP even "sanitised the mic after he spoke". There was furore over the mayor's statement. The next day, the Administrator did a press conference with figures citing how the water supply department was in losses and that "jungle raj nahi hai yahan". Kirron Kher too did a press conference stating that he was levelling false allegations and that the mayor was a "Rondu Ram". Deficit of Rs 100 cr every year In 2022-23, the expenditure on water supply in Chandigarh stood at Rs 227.16 crore and this year, 2023-24, till February 29, the expenditure stands at Rs 244.7 crore. However, the revenue earned out of it is just Rs 129.55 crore and Rs 138.58 crore for 2022-23 and 2023-24 years, respectively. The figures reveal a deficit of Rs 97.61 crore and Rs 106.12 crore last year and this year, respectively. Water scenario Chandigarh receives water from two sources — surface water from the Bhakra main canal and groundwater tapped through the tubewells. From the canal, Chandigarh gets 76 million gallons of water every day and from the tubewells, it extracts 20 MGD water. The present estimated population of Chandigarh is about 12.9 lakh and 245 litre per capita per day (LPCD) is used in Chandigarh by each person which is higher than the national norm of 150 LPCD. At least 38 per cent of water is lost every day due to leakages. Under the Chandigarh Smart City, a study was conducted which stated that some parts of the city face the problem of water scarcity. It also added that the water supply network in the city is old and ageing - a reason why UT wants to overhaul the water system and has taken a loan of Rs 412 crore from French agency. With this, they say UT will get 24x7 water supply.
