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Water Services Act, 1997 (Act No. 108 of 1997)

Notices

Norms and Standards for Tariff Setting, 2024 - effective 1 April 2026

Norms and Standards in respect of Tariffs for Water Supply Services directly to consumers

18. Tariffs for domestic water consumption

 

(1) A WSA/WSP must structure tariffs for providing water supply services to consumers who use water primarily for domestic purposes in a way that takes into account:—
(a) the viability and sustainability of water supply services;
(b) the affordability of basic water supply to poor households; and
(c) incentives to reduce the wasteful or inefficient water use.

 

(2) The requirements of sub-regulation 18(1) are deemed to have been met where:—
(a) the tariff for consumers who are supplied through a water services work that supplies each consumer through an individually metered connection, is set as a volume based charge that provides for a rising block tariff structure which includes:—
(i) at least three or more tariff blocks with the tariff increasing for higher consumption blocks;
(ii) a consumption level for each block defined as a volume consumed by a consumer during any 30- day period;
(iii) a first tariff block or lowest tariff block with a volume of at least 6 kilolitres per consumer per month and which is set at the lowest amount (including zero) required to ensure the viability of water supply services including free basic services for indigent households;
(iv) a tariff block which represents basic use set at an amount that would recover the calculated reasonable average cost of supplying water for sustainability of the service; and/or
(v) a tariff block or highest consumption block set at an amount higher than the average cost of supplying water and at a level that would discourage the wasteful use of water; and
(b) consumers who are indigent and who are supplied through a communal water services works are provided with FBW supply.