OXFORD, United Kingdom, Oct. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Wastewater charges are rising, whether to build out sewered sanitation networks or to comply with ever-stricter effluent discharge regulation, according to the Global Water Tariff Survey 2026 from Global Water Intelligence (GWI). Wastewater systems cost more to build and run than water systems, yet water charges are still higher in every region except North America.
This year’s survey is GWI’s largest ever, covering 1,069 cities across 189 countries, measured the same way since 2011.
Where are utilities raising wastewater charges?
- Malaysia: Indah Water Konsortium has nearly doubled domestic sewerage charges in mainland Malaysia since 2023, now above water charges.
- Dubai: raised wastewater charges in 2025 for the first time in nearly a decade, with more to come.
- Bahrain: introduced its first sewage fee.
- Scandinavia: Fredrikstad, Aarhus and Malmö are shifting charges from water to wastewater; Malmö’s wastewater charge rose 39.3%.
What do rising wastewater prices mean for the water industry?
- A pipeline of drainage projects: Dubai’s rises help fund one of the world’s largest urban drainage programmes; its $8.16 billion Tasreef stormwater programme and $6.8 billion Strategic Sewerage Tunnels are well into procurement.
- Treatment upgrades: Honolulu’s new rates aim to fund a $10.1 billion capital programme led by a federally mandated treatment plant upgrade.
- Self-funding utilities: fees such as Bahrain’s aim to make utilities more financially independent from central government support.
“It makes sense to me that this trend of increasing wastewater rates will continue, not just because wastewater technologies are more expensive to build and operate than water ones, but also because sewer networks are still largely being built out, and environmental discharge pressures are mounting,” said Tallulah Lutkin, Utilities Editor at Global Water Intelligence.
The full survey, with prices for all 1,069 cities, is available to GWI Executive members: https://www.globalwaterintel.com/documents/the-global-water-tariff-survey-2026
Journalists can request city or country figures from tallulah.lutkin@globalwaterintel.com.
About Global Water Intelligence
Global Water Intelligence (GWI) is the leading publisher, market intelligence provider, and events organiser for the international water industry. For over 25 years, our journalists, analysts and events have helped clients make better strategic decisions across municipal and industrial water, technology, finance and engineering.
CONTACT: Tallulah Lutkin
TITLE: Utilities Editor
COMPANY: Global Water Intelligence
PHONE: 01865 204208
EMAIL: sales@globalwaterintel.com
WEB: https://www.globalwaterintel.com
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