Sachet & Packaged Water Producers Worried Over Increase In Water Tariffs

The Association of Sachet and Packaged Water has lamented the recent increase in water tariffs in the country.

This follows a review and approval by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) for water tariffs to go up for the second quarter of 2023.

President of the Association of Sachet and Packaged Water, Magnus Nunoo, said the adjustment is not in the interest of consumers.

“This adjustment is not in any way in the interest of consumers. Prices of goods have gone up, and now this. They should do something about it,” he said on Citi News.

The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has approved a tariff adjustment for water services, which will take effect from June 1, 2023. This adjustment marks an upward shift in costs for all consumer groups.

In a statement released on Thursday, May 18, PURC explained that the decision to raise water tariffs for the second quarter of 2023 was based on several factors.

“In taking this decision, the commission took cognizance of the cost of electricity, increased volume cost of chemicals for raw water treatment, the Ghana Cedi/US Dollar exchange rate and inflation,” PURC announced.

Simultaneously, PURC has also implemented an 18.36% increase in tariffs for electricity and natural gas across board.

This decision was made to balance preventing prolonged power outages and the negative impact such outages can have on jobs and livelihoods.

The regulator aims to minimize the impact of rate increases on consumers while ensuring the reliability of the power supply.