Karachi Nazim and Chairman, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB), Naimatullah Khan has appealed to the government that the electricity charges from the Water Board should be recovered on the basis of tariff for agriculture.
In a letter to the federal government the City Nazim has expressed concern that as compared with the rest of the country, higher electricity charges are being recovered from the Water Board.
It may be mentioned here that the KWSB is paying electricity charges as per industrial and commercial tariff whereas in other parts of the country Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) is recovering electricity charges from water supply organisations on the basis of agriculture tariff.
Naimatullah Khan said that KWSB is a welfare and service-oriented organisation. It is rendering this responsibility on 'no profit no loss' basis whereas the fact is that water is brought to city from 160 km away for supply to citizens and is also brought to Karachi from Dhabeji and Hub through intricate system. Sometime pumping had to be done three times to push the water to the city.
The Nazim said that the KWSB had to pay Rs 1.66 billion per year on account of electricity charges and this bill will be reduced to half if the federal government directs the KESC to recover these charges on agriculture tariff basis.
At present, he said, the electricity bills worth millions of rupees are outstanding against the KWSB and their payment can be possible, if various taxes levied therein are done away with by the government.
Naimatullah Khan pointed out that whatever recovery Water Board makes from the water supply, half of it goes to KESC as electricity charges. If these bills are charged on the basis of the tariff for agriculture, it would facilitate the Water Board to carry out its development plans.