Within the water governance literature the concept of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) has gained momentum. IWRM is considered to imbue qualities worthy of being a leading a governance paradigm since it encompasses economic efficiency, social equity and ecosystem sustainability. Influenced by the adoption of IWRM, the water sector has increasingly undergone reform. Water supply and sanitation sector reforms in sub-Saharan Africa were implemented to increase efficiency and improve service coverage of water utilities of urban and rural communities. While the Government of Botswana, though rhetorically, embraces the general and international principles of IWRM, the country's water allocation decision making process has moved from a decentralised to a centralised approach. The Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) is responsible for water supply to both rural and urban centres. The changes in reforms has brought significant changes to water tariff structures. Due to these changes customers are hard hit by monthly high water bills by WUC. The high-water bills imposed on consumers by WUC reflect the World Bank ideology of treating water as an economic good and WUC as a parastatal is interested in profit-making. The reform of water tariffs reflects the neo-liberalization of the water supply sector in Botswana. Therefore, the proposed study aims to analyse how the reforms have changed the water tarrif structures and how these changes have affected households in Shakawe and Maun villages in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. The study employs a mixed method approach based on key intormant interviews, household interview schedules, focus group discussions and document review. The findings of this study will provide a basis for recommendations to planners at district and national level who are developing policy for managing water.