PRIVATE SUPPLIERS SET TO DOUBLE TANKER WATER PRICES FROM JAN 1

APARTMENT complexes and establishments relying on tanker services for potable water in Kochi could be in for a difficult start to the new year, if the decision of the suppliers is anything to go by.

- SHYAM P V @Kochi

The water transporters, who currently charge 10 paise per litre, are set to increase the tariffs for water tankers having a capacity of more than 18,000 litres by a whopping 100% from January 1.

"It has been 11 years since we increased the rates. Even as all our operational expenses have skyrocketed, we are forced to go to distant places to collect water," R Ramachandran, secretary of the Ernakulam District Drinking Water Transporters' Welfare Association, told TNIE.

There are at least 450 tankers supplying potable water to apartments, restaurants, hotels, hospitals, hostels, corporate establishments, Coast Guard, Indian Navy, and even to the collectorate.