By Belize Live News Staff: Belize Water Services Limited (BWS) is pushing back against claims that its proposed 20% rate increase would cripple consumers or signal financial distress.
According to Executive Chairman Cornelio Acosta, the utility remains strong — one of the few in the Caribbean that operates profitably without government subsidies.
The rate adjustment, he explained, is intended to fund major infrastructure upgrades under a $130 million capital investment plan designed to meet growing demand and improve reliability.
“If the increase isn’t approved, we can sustain operations,” Acosta clarified. “But we’d have to cut back on major projects that improve storage, distribution, and service expansion.”
He noted that since 2020, production costs have risen by 8.2%, distribution costs by 6.2%, and material costs by 95%, creating mounting pressure on the utility’s development plans.
BWS also plans to introduce a social tariff structure that ensures low-income families continue to access affordable water.
Acosta further noted that past tariff reviews have seen rate reductions, and that increases are not permanent:
“We’ve had decreases in previous years. Our goal is always to maintain balance — to serve our customers well while keeping the system sustainable.”
The Public Utilities Commission will review BWS’s request at a public meeting on October 17 at the Biltmore Plaza, where Belizeans will have the chance to weigh in on the proposed hike.
