Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Corporation (Dawasco) workers replace a leaking 54-inch pipe at Tegeta, on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam, yesterday. According to Dawasco public relations officer Teddy Mlengu, the replacement work, which commenced on Saturday, was expected to be completed yesterday evening. The pipe distributes water from Lower Ruvu to Kinondoni municipality and the city centre.

The Energy and Water Regulatory Authority (Ewura) has given Dar es Salaam water utilities conditions for reviewing water supply and sewerage tariffs in the country’s commercial city.

Dar es Salaam Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Dawasa) and Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Corporation (Dawasco) have requested for tariff adjustments planned to come to effect on July 1, this year.

Ewura said in a press statement at the weekend, signed by its Director General, Haruna Masebu, that Dawasa should ensure that all water customers are billed according to the water consumption indicated by meter readings and in case of a faulty meter, customers should be billed according to the assessed average water consumption based on previous meter readings.

It said before September 30, this year Dawasa shall submit a status report on the implementation of customer outreach programme, including dissemination of codes of practice, status report on programme implementation and charges adjustments as directed by Ewura.

Ewura also ordered Dawasa to continue providing it with information about its financial and operating condition. The information will be used by Ewura to evaluate Dawasa’s performance in comparison with other utilities.

“This evaluation will be considered by Ewura in evaluating all future requests for tariff adjustments. Dawasa shall ensure that the accuracy of information provided in monthly reports through Water Supply Services Information System (MajIs) is improved,” said Ewura in the statement.

The regulatory authority also ordered Dawasa on quarterly basis starting July 1, this year, to submit a status report on operations of its boreholes in accordance with Ewura requirements.

The order revokes Ewura order dated July 10, 2009 for Dawasa tariff adjustments and another order issued on June 8, 2010 for tariff adjustments on public standpipe or kiosks in the Dawasco network.

According to the statement, approved total customer water supply tariff per cubic meters will be 1,119/- for 2012/13 and 1,077/- for 2013/14. The current tariff is 850/- per cubic meter.

Ewura said for customers consuming 0-5 cubic meters per month, tariffs will be charged at the operator tariff, that is, 604/-per cubic meter and 403/- per cubic meter for 2012/13 and 2013/14, respectively.

The sewerage customer tariff will be 250/- in the year 2012/13 and 275/- in 2013/14. The current sewerage tariff is 227/-. The kiosk tariff will remain constant at 20/- per 20-litre bucket.

Ewura had earlier conducted public hearing meetings in Kibaha, Bagamoyo and Dar es Salaam where Dawasa made presentations explaining the basis for the application and the justification of the proposed adjustments for tariffs and charges.

The Ewura consumer consultative council was concerned, among other things, with high tariffs to industrial customers, high proposed tariffs which calls for critical look on the proposed investment plans, failure to supply metres to all customers by January 2010, low sewerage coverage of about 10 per cent and decrease in the population directly supplied with water from 68 per cent in 2008/09 to 48.2 per cent in 2009/10.

Customers were also concerned with Dawasa relying on poor expectations that the government will write off its debts.

On November 19, 2010 Dawasa submitted an application for review and approval of water supply and sewerage tariffs. The authority wanted to adjust water tariffs over three years starting with an increase of 184 per cent in 2011/12, 9 per cent in 2012/13 and a decrease of 17.9 per cent in the third year, that’s 2013/14.

It also requested for an increase in sewerage tariffs for two years starting with an increase of 13.2 per cent in 2012/13 and an increase of 11.7 per cent in 2013/14, noted the Ewura statement.