A slight reprieve could be on its way for water-conscious residents in Nelson Mandela Bay, with the municipality mulling over the possibility of restructuring water tariffs.
This would be aimed at easing the financial strain on those who use water sparingly and ensuring that water hoggers bear the brunt of higher tariffs.
The municipality is sitting with a debtors bill – which has spiked since the implementation of Part C water restrictions about a year ago – of R3.2bn.
The punitive tariffs mean consumers pay more for water regardless of how much is used.
Under the Part C restrictions, residents pay R15.88 for the first 0.5 kilolitre a day, R32.11 for the next 0.3kl, R64.22 for the next 0.8kl and R214.08/kl for additional usage.
But the municipality’s water and sanitation department is working on a proposal to ensure there is a baseline charge for the minimum usage of water that would carry through from Part A to C restrictions.
This was revealed by water and sanitation director Barry Martin at a budget and treasury committee meeting on Friday.
“What this means is that if under Part A you pay R10, you will pay R10 under Part C as well on condition that you consume 6kl of water, which is your free basic allocation, or 8kl in the case of our metro.
“Those are some of the rationales we can look at going forward,” he said.
“Whether we can introduce a new tariff structure halfway through the financial year is a different discussion, but it . . . must happen in the run-up to the next financial year.
“We have prepared tables already and made some calculations in terms of the revenue that will be generated through this new structure, and it will not have a negative effect on the income of the municipality.
“So, it’s a plan that is looking at the income of the municipality but also the benefit of the customer who is making an effort to save water.”
Portfolio committee chair Retief Odendaal and ANC councillor Rory Riordan raised concerns about the effect of the Part C tariffs on households.
“We’re in a situation where we are going to financially ruin some residents,” Odendaal said.
“We’re going to have to address [this].
“We have to take action against those who waste water, but I don’t believe that someone with a bill of R350,000 did that on purpose.
“I don’t think it’s fair to financially ruin people because of this tariff.”
ANC councillor Bicks Ndoni said the municipality must be fair when assessing the accounts of residents with high water bills, particularly if the wastage was out of the residents’ control.