Supplied water for Dhaka dwellers have become nearly 22 percent more expensive since lune this year but many believe the hike could have been avoided.

They say Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority could have addressed its financial indiscipline and stopped system loss instead and that the hike would hurt people of low and middle income groups.

Before luly this year per unit of water (1,000 litres) used to cost a residential customer Tk 7.71. After the yearly five percent rise in July, it costTk 8.49. But in November Dhaka Wasa raised the price by 17 percent to He 10.

Had it been a hike in electricity prices, people would have had an early alert as it has become customary these days of service providers holding public hearings prior to

any power price adjustment.

But when it comes to water, it has never been a practice.

As consumers' bodies criticised the price hike, Dhaka Wasa said it could ill afford the huge gap between its production and supply prices of water. It claimed that it was selling a water unit that costs Tk 28 to produce for justTk 10.

Interestingly, Dhaka Wasa finds a way of cost reduction, causing its hard-pressed customers difficulties, when the institution itself is accused of gross financial indiscipline. Hefty overtime bills Wasa has been paying its staffs made the AntiCorruption Commission to move and ask for accountability.

Almost all of the 3,500 lower tier employees of Dhaka Wasa drew more than twice the amount of their basic salaries as overtime in 2015-16. They drew Tk 56 crore as overtime while their basic wage was Tk 27 crore.

On top of that, there are customers' complaints from one neighbourhood or the other about Wasa supplying stinky water.

Even though the rate of “system loss" in Wasa's supplied water has dropped in recent years, 20 percent water is still being wasted. It was as high as 36 percent a decade ago.

Dhaka Wasa Managing Director, Taqsem A Khan, said they were setting up new pipelines, replacing old ones and the system loss would come down to seven or eight percent soon.

Dhaka Wasa, in July, increased its water price by five percent for both residential and commercial users. In

November, water prices were increased by 17 and 13 percents for residential and commercial users respectively.

With the latest rise, per unit water now costs Tk 32 for commercial use.

Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Chairman Ghulam Rahman said it was illogical to increase water bill by 22 percent and 18 percent for residential and commercial uses in a year.

"The price hike will affect the people of low and middle income groups," said Ghulam, demanding a logical review of the pricing.

The CAB chief also demanded formation of a committee or authority, like there is for electricity and gas, to adjust the price of water in a transparent and accountable way.

Asif Ahmed Porag, a resident of Ulan of Rampura, said they earlier had to pay Tk 3,000 for water but now they have to pay additional Tk 1,700.

"There is no justification for increasing the water price 22 percent in a year, as for the last three months

we are getting stinky water," he said, adding that Wasa should ensure its supply first before increasing the price.

Arif Hossian, a resident of Mirpur-12, Block-D, said all tenants of his five-storey building have expressed resentment at the sudden abnormal hike of the water tariff.

A Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) research in July last year said, "Lack of public participation in the decision making process, absence of necessary principles for effective water governance, including transparency, equality, accountability, legitimacy and legality, were among the major challenges for Dhaka Wasa."

The report titled "Integrity in Water Management of Bangladesh: Present Perspective and Development Potential" emphasised on ensuring good governance in the water sector as it observed that clients did not get proper remedies despite filing complaints with Wasa.

Dhaka Wasa MD Taqsem was quick

to rationalise the hike, saying, "Who will pay for the investments we made [in water sector]? Our target is to take the Wasa to breakeven."

To make the water supply sustainable and to repay loans, the price adjustments were needed, he said.

Taqsem further added that Wasa's Board had the power to increase 5 percent price a year. But as it felt the necessity of increasing water price more than that, it appealed to the government which approved it.

Dhaka Wasa Chief Engineer AKM Shahid Uddin said they subsidise Tk 18 for every unit of water. He said they heavily depend on electricity to supply the water and as the prices of electricity increased several times, the production costs of water also went up.

According to Wasa Act 1996, price of water would have to be the same or more than the production cost. They said if Wasa kept increasing the price gradually then it would be easier for consumers to cope with and for Wasa to minimise the gap between the production cost and price.