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| Sunday, 17 August 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Commuters irked over ever-increasing water bills Is the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) overcharging consumers by maintaining an erratic billing cycle ? Irate consumers, faced with ever increasing water bills, claim it is so, and charge that by deliberately extending the metre reading cycle from 30 to 47 days, the Water Board is inflating the number of units consumed and billing consumers at a higher unit rate. A number of consumers allege that their bills have shot up since the Board began extending its metre reading cycle and claim that units that should be included for the following month are being added on to the current month, ultimately increasing the number of units consumed to well beyond 25 units. Unlike telephone and electricity bills, which are computed for a 30-31 day calendar month, the water bill is calculated only when the Water Supply Board metre readers find it convenient to visit a household, accused a consumer. Period varies from 38 to 47 days. At present water consumed is calculated on the following basis: 1-10 units (10) - Rs. 1.25 x 12.50 11-15 units (05) - Rs. 2.50 x 12.50 16-20 units (05) - Rs. 6.50 x 32.50 21-25 units (05) - Rs. 20 x 100.00 = 157.00 over 25 units - Rs. 45 The NWSDB while admitting that the monthly metre reading schedule had been extended due to shortage of staff, however dismissed the allegation of consumers being overcharged. T. M. M. Mediwaka, Deputy General Manager (Commercial), NWSDB explained that several changes to the present billing system had been introduced to free consumers from excess charging. Though the metres are read only after about 45 days, he said the bills are calculated for a calendar month of 30 days as a further relief to the water consumers. The first 10 units have also been extended to 15 and the next three segments to seven units. "There is no unfair billing scheme as some consumers have alleged. In fact this method rewards the consumers," Mediwaka said, pointing out that the fixed charge of Rs. 50 covers a 45-day cycle. There is no hard and fast rule about billing consumers at the end of each month, besides it will be costly for the Board," he said, adding that they were considering a bi-monthly billing system so then it will further reduce the cost of billing to the Board. The NWSDB has at present 1003 metre readers and 750,000 water consumers, out of which 93,404 are from the Colombo Metropolitan. Mediwaka pointed out that the high number of households clearly shows that it is not possible to send a metre reader to every household on a particular date. Meanwhile, nearly 90 per cent of households are reported to consume less than 25 units and are apparently billed less. However, several householders told the `Sunday Observer' that they get extremely high water bills, despite the less number of units consumed. They feel that the Water Supply Board is fleecing the consumers on the sly through their `arithmetic magic.' One consumer said that he gets a bill of Rs. 1940 per month. His is a family of three, and all go to work and no water is consumed from 8.00 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. Had it been calculated for 30 days, the units consumed would have been much less and therefore the bill that I have to pay would have been proportionately less," he said. |
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