Water, electricity sales rise

By Ntombi Mhlongo

The latest selected quarterly economic indicators analysis reflects that total electricity sales rose by 2.9 per cent in the quarter that ended September 2022.

The analysis was compiled by the Central Bank of Eswatini in its Recent Economic Developments Report. The electricity sales increase, whose statistics were sourced from the Eswatini Electricity Company by the bank, reflects a positive when compared to a decline of 1.3 per cent in the quarter that ended June 2022.

The analysis also reflects that domestic electricity sales continue to grow steadily, increasing by a modest 0.5 per cent in the third quarter of 2022. Electricity sales to commercial (non-agricultural) customers grew by 4.4 per cent in the quarter that ended September 2022, compared to a 1.2 per cent increase in the previous quarter end.

Meanwhile, figures sourced from the Eswatini Water Services Corporation (EWSC) indicated that total treated water consumption increased by a slower 2.1 per cent (seasonally adjusted) in the quarter that ended September 2022, compared to a decline of 8.7 per cent in the quarter that ended June 2022.

Water sales to residential households grew by 2.2 per cent in the quarter under review, compared to a decline of 9.3 per cent in the previous quarter. Similarly, the demand for treated water by the commercial category rose by 2.0 per cent during the quarter under review, up from a decline of 8.0 per cent in the previous quarter.