Musallam, CEO of National Water Company (NWC), has urged citizens to change their consumption units through the company's electronic branches to bring down their water bills without the need to visit its main branches. "NWC's website offers integrated services to customers in Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah and Taif," he said in comments published by Al-Madina Arabic daily. Replying to complaints and inquiries of citizens following an unprecedented hike in water bills, Al-Musallam tweeted that water prices are not determined by NWC, which is an executive body. He stressed the need to plug leakages inside homes to reduce consumption and bills. "Our company has discovered leakages in 25,000 homes, which makes 30 percent of the total supply," he pointed out. Al-Musallam said change in consumption units would help reduce bills. "If we notice an unprecedented level of consumption in a house, we'll ask them to find out whether there is any leakage. This will not only help prevent wastage of water but also cut down bills." Meanwhile, a number of Shoura members have urged NWC to refund faulty water bills of customers. Some subscribers had to pay thousands of riyals in extra without any reason. Dr. Mohammed Al-Khonaizi, a Shoura member, said: "The company should review its billing system and pay back the extra money collected from citizens. Bills based on the new tariff will not reach this huge level. Many people had to pay double the amount of the previous bill." He said the government would not take any decision that would harm citizens and their interest. "This is a kind of conspiracy against citizens by the company." Dr. Mohammed Al-Naji, another Shoura member, urged the Water and Electricity Ministry to launch a nationwide awareness campaign to educate the public on reducing water consumption, with the support of public and social media networks. "Devices that help rationalize water consumption must be distributed among citizens either free of charge or at nominal prices," Al-Naji told the Arabic daily. He emphasized the need to establish more sewage purification centers for irrigation purpose. "The NWC should check water meters regularly to make sure its readings are correct." Meanwhile, citizens continued their protest against a sharp increase in water bills. Khaled Al-Rouqi said the water bill of his house had gone up from SR600 to SR4,000. "I went to NWC's electronic branch and divided the consumption into units from last month until today but it did not make any major change in the bill." However, he said the new bill has reached SR1,700. Al-Rouqi urged the ministry to review the new pricing. Awad Al-Qahtani spoke about his 10-year-old problem with the company. He has been paying huge amounts in water bills. When complained, the company instructed him not to pay the bill until the issue is solved but after sometime he found the supply was disconnected. "I have not yet found any solution to the problem although the company promised to solve it and changed the meter several times," he said. Al-Qahtani expressed his fears that the new tariff would double his water bills.
