Punjab Water and Sanitation Agency has begun issuing notices to hospitals in Rahim Yar Khan, charging Rs 2,500 per toilet as a formal sewage service fee approved by the provincial cabinet.
WASA Deputy Director Amir Naveed confirmed the charge applies to commercial establishments and institutions that generate wastewater and contribute to sanitation usage in urban areas.
Lala Iqbal Hospital in Rahim Yar Khan has reportedly been billed Rs 37,500 per month based on 15 toilets registered at its healthcare facility under the per-unit sewage calculation formula.
Naseer Medical Complex has allegedly been charged Rs 62,500 monthly for 17 toilets, while Doctor Hospital and Trauma Center received a bill of Rs 12,500 under the same applied formula.
At least one private surgical clinic in Rahim Yar Khan has been issued a formal legal case after officials registered charges for its failure to pay the imposed sewage service fee on time.
Deputy Director Naveed stated the levy is not a ‘toilet tax’ but a sewage tax designed to recover costs tied to sanitation services used by commercial and institutional waste-generating establishments.
The charge was described as targeting institutions that discharge wastewater into municipal sanitation systems, with billing calculated based on the total number of installed toilet units at each site.
The controversy spread rapidly on social media, where users began calling the levy a toilet tax, raising widespread questions about the per-unit charging model applied to healthcare facilities.
The reports are based on statements attributed to officials and media sources, with no independently verified official policy document formally confirming the per-toilet sewage charge structure yet released.
