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The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board’s (BWSSB) has hike water tariffss by 32 per cent and sewage charges by 25 per cent
| Photo Credit:
MURALI KUMAR K
Shobha M, a Jayanagar resident who works with an online marketplace, is worried about how she can meet her monthly expenses, after a wave of price hikes in Bengaluru. The rising cost of electricity, transport, and fuel in the city is burning a hole in her pocket, she says, with her monthly outgo shooting up by nearly ₹5,000-8,000.
Her woes are compounded by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board’s (BWSSB) recent 32 per cent hike in water tariffs and 25 per cent increase in sewage charges — a decision that comes close on the heels of the milk price hike announced earlier this month.
This year has greeted Bengalureans with a flurry of hikes — starting with BMTC bus fares, followed by metro tickets, electricity tariffs, garbage collection fees, and now, water charges. While the state government has cited rising operational costs and revenue deficits as reasons for the hikes, it raises a pressing question: are all utility departments running under deficit?
“The government never factors in whether salaries are inflation-adjusted,” says Shobha, annoyed at how taxes and user fees have kept increasing, leaving little in the pocket for discretionary spending.
Costly city
According to data from NoBroker, residential rentals have also surged. Whitefield has seen a 7 per cent jump in rents compared to last year, while PG-heavy areas like Marathahalli have witnessed a 5–6 per cent hike in 2025. “Across micro-markets, rents have gone up by 20 per cent,” said Amit Agarwal, CEO and Co-founder, NoBroker.
Criticising the hikes, BJP spokesperson Prakash said, “Funds have been diverted to support the government’s guarantee schemes. Now, none of the departments have money left for basic infrastructure or services, so they are compensating by dipping into the citizens’ pockets.”
Defending the decision, at a press meet on Thursday, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said, “We raised milk prices to support farmers. The Centre hasn’t reduced fodder or feed costs, which has pushed prices up nationally. Despite this, we have allocated ₹52,000 crore in our budget to fund five guarantee schemes aimed at easing the burden of inflation.” He also pointed to rising fuel costs at the national level: “The price of CNG has increased from ₹40/kg to ₹82/kg, and diesel from ₹55/litre to ₹90/litre.
Published on April 10, 2025
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