THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Confusion is still prevailing among the consumers ever since the Kerala Water Authority decided not to give a water reading receipt which includes the amount incurred. Most of the customers are not getting the intimation on their mobile phones resulting in inordinate delay in payment to KWA and hardship to consumers.
During the height of the pandemic last year, the KSEB had come under flak when consumers were slapped with exorbitant bills. This year, it is the KWA that is doing the same. Now, the norm is that a meter reader will check the reading bi-monthly and will inform the consumer the details of the bill via SMS, so as to avoid social contact during the pandemic.
Despite registering their mobile phone number on the KWA website which would enable a consumer to pay his/her water bill online, not many are getting the notifications. A top KWA official confirmed to The New Indian Express that they have been receiving lots of complaints about not receiving the water bills and exorbitant bills.
"Since there are more than 20,000-50,000 water connections under a KWA section office, we have been availing the service of Kudumbashree workers to record the meter reading. They get Rs 12 per meter as remuneration. But ever since the practice started we have been receiving a lot of complaints on wrong reading resulting in huge bills and it has affected the credibility of KWA. We have been facing a shortage of meter readers", said a top KWA official.
But at the same time, not many are aware that there has been a 5% hike in basic water charges since April 1. The previous LDF Government did not make the decision to hike water charges public as the Assembly elections were round the corner. But since the Government Order was issued in February, there was no hindrance to increasing tariffs. The hike was based on a recommendation by the Central government when the state approached it to raise the borrowing limit.
"The KWA is finding it difficult to meet the mounting expenses as our major source of income is through consumers' payments towards their water consumption. We require Rs 32 crore towards our employee's monthly salary, Rs 22 crore towards pension funds, and Rs 30 crore towards paying power bills. The tariff would witness a similar hike every year on April 1," a top KWA official told TNIE.