By TIZA NYIMBIIRI –
FOUR commercial water utility firms in the country have applied to the National Water Supply and Sanitation Council (NWASCO) for increases in the water tariffs for the three years starting next year.
The four water and sewerage companies namely Eastern, Luapula, Southern and Chambeshi Water and Sewerage companies have applied for consideration to have new water tariff adjustments.
The NWASCO has, however, said it would not allow customers to be exploited through water tariffs, but would also ensure that sustainability of water and sewerage companies was not compromised.
NWASCO director Kelvin Chitumbo said the regulator would ensure the balance between the need for water tariffs to be affordable, on one hand and the need for the water utility firms to continue operating commercially, on the other.
“The role of the regulator is to ensure that water and sanitation services are affordable to all Zambians and that the cost is commensurate to the level of service. We have to balance interests of both the consumer and the water sewerage companies,” he said during the presentation tariff adjustment proposals by the four firms.
Mr Chitumbo said the presentation of proposals accorded the water sewerage companies an opportunity to substantiate and justify their proposed tariffs which were preceded by consultative meetings with their respective customers as required by NWASCO tariff adjustments.
He said consultation with customers, both individual and commercial clients, was cardinal in the tariff adjustments process as it empowered the customer to scrutinise the rationale of the water and sewerage company to adjust tariffs.
“I, therefore, implore customers to take an interest in the tariff consultative meetings as their feedback is important,” he said.
The firms are being accorded a chance to explain their intentions of adjusting their tariffs for 2015 to 2017 and their proposals will be subjected to scrutiny and possible adjustment by the council staff after which the board will reach the final verdict.
Chambeshi and Luapula Water and sewerage firms have this year been implementing the 2013 tariffs because of poor service delivery and instability respectively.
The Eastern and Southern firms have their multi-year tariffs of 2012-2014 coming to an end in December this year.
