JORHAT, July 16: The Jorhat Municpal Board has hiked the quarterly water tariffs from the current Rs 20 to Rs 100. According to the civic body, the increase by five times has become inevitable due to the surge in electricity bills after the installation of digital meters at the five water supply projects operated by it in the town. Chairman Prasanta Kumar Borah said that JMB is footing a power bill which is upwards of Rs 1.80 lakh on account of the water supply projects. Before the installation of digital meters, the bill used to hover around Rs 70,000.