HYDERABAD: In a major relief to Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB), the Telangana Electricity Regulatory Authority (TSERC) extended concessional power tariff by reducing the power charges to Rs 3.95 per unit. The new tariff will help HMWS&SB save Rs 22.50 crore per month and Rs 270 crore per annum. The Water Board was incurring huge power bills by pumping water to Hyderabad from Krishna and Godavari drinking water sources.
Earlier, TSERC levied power charges in different slabs. It charged Rs 6.65 per unit for consumption at 11 kV, Rs 6.65 per unit for 33 kV and Rs 5.65 for 133 kV. As per the orders issued now, all three categories will be charged Rs 3.95 per unit.HMWS&SB Managing Director M Dana Kishore, along with senior officials, met Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development K T Rama Rao here on Monday and thanked him for taking up the issue with Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. The issue had been pending for a long time.
HMWS&SB was paying Rs 90 crore as power charges for consumption of 200-225 MW per month. One of the major components of operational cost is power charges, which constitute 88 percent of the total basic operating cost. Pumping water from Godavari and Krishna are power intensive processes, as they warrant heavy pumping over long distances. The cost of power charges was the key factor for financial sustainability of the Board. HMWS&SB also incurs a whopping cost of Rs 46 per kL for water, while it supplies water at Rs 7 per kL and Rs 10 per kL, Board officials said.