Residents in the Kouga Municipality can breathe a sigh of relief as water tariffs will be lowered to provide financial relief.
The decision to lower tariffs was approved at a special council meeting of the Kouga Municipality on Tuesday.
Executive Mayor Hatting Bornman says the decrease in tariffs can be attributed to the significant increase in dam levels
New tariffs will come into effect at the end of the month.
Bornman says the existing water tariffs had been quite punitive, but were necessary during the height of the water crisis.
He says at one point dam levels plummeted to below 4% but given the significant increase in dam levels, it is deemed appropriate to decrease the tariffs.
According to Bornman, high water tariffs can exacerbate the already soaring cost of living, particularly for the most vulnerable members of society.
It is important to note that the Department of Water and Sanitation has not yet declared an end to the ongoing drought in the region, and other drought-affected areas are still maintaining high water tariffs.
