The Central Water Authority (CWA) and the Wastewater Management Authority (WMA) have announced a landmark tariff revision for non-domestic users. For the first time in twelve years, businesses will face increases ranging from 10% to 75%, depending on their profile.
Who pays more, and how much?
Most non-domestic clients — hotels, shopping centres, industries, supermarkets and bottling companies — will see tariffs rise between 10% and 25%. However, premium developments are hit much harder: Smart Cities, Integrated Resort Schemes (IRS), Real Estate Schemes (RES) and Property Development Schemes (PDS) face increases of around 75%. The WMA applies the same scales for wastewater services.
Households spared
Individual households are not affected by the revision. The government made clear it did not want to increase the financial burden on Mauritian families amid ongoing cost-of-living pressures. The tariff adjustment is therefore entirely borne by the business sector.
A long-overdue adjustment
The last non-domestic tariffs dated from 2013-2014. Since then, the CWA's operating costs have risen substantially — including energy, maintenance and infrastructure renewal expenditure. The revision aims to restore the authority's financial balance and fund investments essential to the island's water security.
Impact on economic operators
The hospitality and retail sectors — two pillars of the Mauritian economy — face a direct additional cost. For Smart City projects, some of which represent multi-billion rupee investments, a 75% increase in water and wastewater charges is a significant new line item in financial models.
Why it matters
Water pricing is an economic policy signal. After 12 years of frozen rates, Mauritius is recalibrating its public utilities towards financial sustainability. For premium real estate investors and hoteliers, this is a new cost parameter — and an incentive to invest in water recycling and recovery systems.
Sources: Defimedia / Le Mauricien / Maurice Info, July 2026