Water bills for households, businesses, and factories might go up by as much as 800% if the recent notification from the Sindh government takes effect. Agricultural users will also see their water taxes double. This increase is the first in 25 years.
The Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (SIDA) has directed its regional water boards to raise water taxes promptly. These boards manage water supply for farms and government agencies like the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) in Hyderabad, as well as municipal bodies and the Public Health Engineering Department in various districts of Sindh.
Currently, SIDA charges government departments Rs0.50 per 1,000 gallons for residential water supply, while businesses and industries pay Rs1 per 1,000 gallons. But under the new rates, households will pay Rs4 per 1,000 gallons, and businesses and industries will pay Rs8 per 1,000 gallons.
The decision was made during a meeting of the caretaker provincial government in February and officially announced by the Sindh Irrigation Secretary on March 6. All relevant authorities have been instructed to enforce the new rates.
The water tax for crops has also been doubled. Rice farmers will now pay between Rs127 to Rs355 per acre, cotton farmers between Rs84 to Rs372, sugarcane growers between Rs240 to Rs727, wheat farmers between Rs79 to Rs213, orchard farmers between Rs133 to Rs568, and growers of other crops will also face a 100% increase in water taxes.
