DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 04 July) – The Davao City Water District (DCWD) will impose an additional 10% increase in water rates effective July 1, 2024.
The increase will be reflected in the utility bills of the water consumers next month.
JC Duhaylungsod, DCWD spokesperson, told MindaNews on Wednesday that the increase is the last and final tranche of the 60% water rate adjustment, which was approved by the Local Water Utilities Administration in July 2022.
The adjustment was imposed in three tranches. The first tranche was 30% imposed in August 2022 and the second tranche was 20% implemented in February 2024.
She explained that the DCWD needs to impose increases to meet the financial requirement of the water utility’s 10-year development plan until 2030, to ensure sustainable water services in the city.
According to DCWD, the program includes “service improvement for existing customers, service expansion to cater to more service connections including the development of additional water sources to meet the growing water demand, ensuring water safety, and operational efficiency.”
It claimed that the city’s water rates remain one of the most affordable in the country despite the imposition of water rate adjustments.
Last February, Duhaylungsod said that the implementation of the water rate adjustment was “long overdue” because there are projects in the pipeline that need to be implemented.
As a government-owned and controlled corporation, Duhaylungsod said that the DCWD does not receive subsidies from the local and national governments, relying primarily on collections from water consumers to finance capital expenditures and water service improvement projects. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
