Li Jing

    vivianmuzi@hotmail.com

    A PUBLIC hearing is set to be held Dec. 17 to discuss a water price hike, the city’s pricing watchdog said Tuesday.

    Shenzhen’s Commission of Development and Reform also made an unprecedented proposal that tap water prices be adjusted according to fluctuations in the prices of untreated water. Seventy percent of the untreated water comes from outside the city, according to the local water bureau.

    Two alternatives will be presented at the hearing, each having three tiers. Both proposed an average increase of 0.269 yuan, or 9.95 percent, per cubic meter.

    According to the first plan, the price of water for residential purposes will be raised by 0.20 yuan (US$0.0317) to 2.5 yuan per cubic meter for the first 22 cubic meters of water used within a month. The price rises to 3.75 yuan per cubic meter from 23 cubic meters through 30 cubic meters. For water consumption that exceeds 31 cubic meters in a month, the price is 7.5 yuan per cubic meter.

    About 90 percent of local households consume no more than 22 cubic meters of water each month and 97 percent no more than 30.

    According to the second plan, the price of water for residential purposes will be 2.4 yuan per cubic meter for the first 20 cubic meters of water used within a month. The price rises to 3.6 yuan per cubic meter from 21 cubic meters through 28 cubic meters. For water consumption that exceeds 29 cubic meters in a month, the price is 7.2 yuan per cubic meter.

    Around 80 percent of households in Shenzhen consume no more than 20 cubic meters of water a month and 95 percent no more than 28.

    Prices of water for industrial and commercial use will also be raised.

    Twenty-one representatives will be invited to attend the hearing, including nine consumers, three staff members of the city’s water supply group, one legislator, one political adviser, three government employees and four scholars.

    The hike is aimed at promoting water saving and the efficient use of water, according to the development and reform commission.

    Shenzhen has been facing water shortages over recent years. With 12 medium-sized reservoirs with a storage of 10 million cubic meters each, the city has less than 200 cubic meters of water available per person locally, or one-12th of the national average.

    All the water in the reservoirs can only last 20 days in a state of emergency, according to the city’s water bureau. In the year 2020, there will be an estimated supply gap of 600 million cubic meters.