THE price of water for residential use in Shenzhen was increased to 2.30 yuan (US$0.35) per cubic meter April 1, up from the previous 1.90 yuan.
Consumption of between 23 and 30 cubic meters will cost 3.45 yuan per cubic meter for the extra water.
If consumption exceeds 30 cubic meters the charge for the extra would double to 4.60 yuan per cubic meter, the Shenzhen development and reform commission said Friday.
For commercial users such as car washes and hair dressers, the price doubled from 7.50 yuan per cubic meter to 15 yuan per cubic meter.
Low income families were still eligible for 8 cubic meters of water free every month.
The rule was announced following a hearing in January last year.
Luohu, Futian, Nanshan and Yantian districts which are serviced by the Shenzhen Water Group had adopted the new pricing scheme. Prices in the other four districts including Longgang and Bao an remain unchanged.
Shenzhen Water Group submitted an application for the hearing to the commission in December 2009 saying their operating costs had been escalating in recent years. The average cost of water supply and sewage treatment in 36 major cities on the mainland was 3.78 yuan per cubic meter, according to a Ministry of Water Resources survey. The corresponding figure in Shenzhen was 3.28 yuan per cubic meter.
The ratio of water fees per capita disposable income in these cities was 1.09 compared to 0.5 percent in Shenzhen, showing that the tap water price in Shenzhen was much lower than the national average. The per capita water use in Shenzhen is 235 cubic meters, one tenth the national average.
(Han Ximin)
