As the local currency continues to depreciate, the cost of living has been steadily climbing, affecting everything from groceries to utility bills.

In response to these economic shifts, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) announced on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, that electricity tariffs will increase by 1.14% starting in October.

However, PURC confirmed that water tariffs will remain unchanged for the final quarter of the year.

The reason being that water bills witnessed only a 0.1% marginal adjustment after detailed tariff computations.

According to the Director of Research and Corporate Affairs at PURC, Dr Eric Obutey, the commission decided to not increase water bills as the change was marginal and wouldn't make any impact.

Electricity tariffs to increase in October, water bills unchanged - PURC

“When we did the computation, we realised that if we took all the factors into consideration - the exchange rate as well as inflation - the marginal change in tariff would have been 0.1% for water,” Dr Obutey said on citibusiness news.

He further said; “In the wisdom of the commissioners, they thought it wise that 0.1% and 0% - there is not much difference - so let’s leave it at 0%, so that there will be no change at all in the water tariff.”

The adjustment falls under PURC’s Quarterly Tariff Review Mechanism, which evaluates key economic indicators such as inflation, currency fluctuations, and energy generation costs to determine fair pricing.

While water tariffs remain stable for now, some factors such as operational costs, outstanding debts, billing cycles, and future tariff reviews could influence adjustments in the future.

Customers are reminded that bills are due within 28 days of receipt.

The bill date, indicating when payment is expected is clearly marked on each customer’s invoice.

SA

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