Water charges hiked by up to 300pc for Islamabad residents

ISLAMABAD: The Municipal Corporation of Islamabad (MCI), which is run by an administrator, has increased water charges by 200 percent to 300 percent with effect from January 2024.

Consumers residing on plot size less than 250 yards would now pay Rs480 per month as water charges, water charges on houses of plot size 251 yards to 499 yards Rs624, houses on plot size 500 yards to 999 yards Rs1,500 per month, houses on plot size 1,000 yards to 1,999 yards Rs2,000 per month while those residing in houses constructed on plot size 2,000 yards and above will pay Rs3,500 per month.

The MCI has fixed Rs600 per month as water charges for houses of different categories in model villages while residents of goverment houses would pay Rs240 to Rs940 per month.

The MCI has for houses where water meters have been installed has fixed Rs480 per 1,000 gallons where water supply is upto 5,000 gallons. Those using water over 5,000 to 20,000 gallons would pay Rs70 per gallon per month charges.

Moreover, the MCI would receive Rs1.5 per square feet charges from hotels and motels located in the National Park area and commercial buildings in Blue Area. The same rate has also been fixed for private hospitals.

The MCI also fixed Rs10 per square feet water charges for motor garages having service station while petrol pumps with service station would pay Rs40,000 per month.

The cold storages would pay Rs19,200, bakeries Rs1,008, poultry shops and tea stalls Rs864 while industrial area plots where water is used only for drinking and for toilet use would pay Rs8,400 and where water is used as raw material would pay Rs24,000 per month as water charges.

The increased water charges in Islamabad are still one third of water charges received per month by the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) in Rawalplindi, Lahore and other metropolitan corporations of Punjab. For example, the houses upto 10 marlas in Rawalpindi are paying over Rs2,000 per month water bill whereas water charges for houses of different sizes are from Rs480 to Rs624 per month.

Last time, the water charges in Islamabad were increased in 2017. According to an official of water supply directorate, the MCI collected Rs700 million per month from consumers against total expenses, which include salaries and maintenance charges per month.