KOLLAM: N.K. Premachandran, Minister for Water Resources, has said that a hike in water tariff without affecting the average domestic consumers is under consideration of the Government.

Inaugurating an adalat of the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) for Kollam city area here on Tuesday, Mr. Premachandran said the non-domestic sector and the domestic sector where consumption went beyond a fixed slab would be targeted for the hike. The Minister said the cost incurred by the KWA to purify and reach 1,000 litres of water to the consumer is Rs.7.85. But the KWA tariff was only Rs.3.50 for 1,000 litres. Due to this disparity the KWA was burdened with financial liabilities. Without a hike in water tariff for some sections of the consumers, the KWA operations would become difficult. He said that if the drought situation continued for another week, water supply in the Malabar region would be hit.

This was because the Bharathapuazha, which was the source for about 20 water supply schemes, was drying up at a fast pace.

The Minister said the wanton reclamation of paddy fields and wetlands and the demolition of hills was a prime reason for water sources getting dried up.

The water table in the State had come down by 50 per cent thereby making this source highly unreliable as a source of water supply.

Hence rainwater harvesting became imperative. He wanted the local bodies to take up rainwater harvesting on a war footing.

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