SOLOMON Water announces new tariffs effective 1 January 2025.
According to Solomon Water, this is to reflect the rising costs of producing and supplying water.
The new water price will be $10.43 per kL for domestic customers for the first 15 kL, while for commercial customers a water price of $40.73 will apply for the first 15 kL consumption. This would represent an increase in water price of about 5.0% per year since the last price revision.
Chief Executive Officer, Carmine Piantedosi said; “we understand that price changes affect households, but adjustments in tariffs should also serve as a reminder for customers to be mindful of their water usage and make every effort to conserve and use water widely.
Solomon Water remains committed to ensuring that we can continue delivering safe and reliable water services in the long term interests of consumers. Our vision, ‘Safe Water for a Healthy Nation’, drives every decision we make.”
“Solomon Water appreciates your understanding as we strive to provide improved services and a sustainable water future for everyone,” the statement said.
Water security is essential for Solomon Islands. Water is a strategic resource that all of us – individuals, businesses, and the Government – must safeguard. Through long-term planning and continual investments in critical water infrastructure, Solomon Islands Water Authority has continued to develop and ensure a safe and reliable water supply to meet the needs of our population and economy. In Solomon Islands, water is priced to recover the full cost of its supply and production, and to reflect the cost of producing the next drop of water. This right pricing of water also encourages water conservation by households and industries, to achieve a sustainable growth in water demand.
Even with active cost mitigation measures by Solomon Water, the cost of producing and supplying water has increased substantially since the last price review in 2022, due to external cost pressures.
Increases in the cost of electricity, maintenance and infrastructure improvements, increased investment in critical upgrades to ensure water safety, reliability and sustainability have added to cost of providing water services.
Construction costs in Solomon Islands have also gone up across the industry and SW expenses for essential chemicals in water have increased due to inflationary pressures and supply chain disruptions. Similarly, maintenance expenses have risen due to higher manpower costs for contracted services.
Solomon Island’s water demand is projected to almost double by 2030 in tandem with economic and population growth. Climate change will also put greater strain on our local catchments which are weather-dependent. To ensure the security and sustainability of our water supply, we will need to maintain long-term investments in water infrastructure and further develop our weather-resilient water sources, which are more energy-intensive and costlier to produce.
Solomon Water is committed to delivering safe, reliable and sustainable water and waste water services to our customers, improving the well-being of our communities and supporting national growth.
