Dhaka Water Supply and Sewage Authority (WASA) wants to raise the price of water by at least 20 per cent.

The hike aims to reduce the government subsidy, it claimed.

Dhaka WASA Managing Director Taksim A Khan informed the matter to media on Wednesday at the organisation’s headquarters.

“We have proposed a 20 per cent hike of water prices,” he said. “If the government wants to raise prices further, we won’t object. If the government subsidises the water, the price will not increase. The decision is up to the government.

It currently costs Dhaka WASA Tk 25 to supply 1,000 litres of water, but the amount is sold for Tk 15. WASA wants to raise the prices to reduce the amount paid in subsidies, report bdnews24.com.

“According to the law, WASA can make a 5 per cent increase in price each year, but we believe that is not enough, so we have sent a proposal to the ministry.”

The proposal to increase the price of water was raised at a WASA board meeting in the last week of January, a board member told bdnews24.com. Most members of the board had opposed it, but the matter was raised again at a meeting on Monday.

WASA raised the price of water by 5 percent on May 5 last year. The price of a unit (1,000 litres) of water for residential use was raised from Tk 14.46 to Tk 15.18. The price of a unit for commercial use was raised from Tk 40 to Tk 42.

WASA had also raised the price of water in April 2020. The price of water for residential use had risen by Tk 2.90.

WASA also raised prices in September 2019, July 2018 and August 2017.