Dig wells to avoid high water bills : Minister

Taif : Facing increasing complaints about high water bills, Water and Electricity Minister Abdullah Al-Hussayen has urged consumers to get permits to dig wells so that they can avoid paying the new tariffs introduced by the government in December.

Al-Hussayen was also quoted as saying by a local publication on Tuesday that the government had introduced several awareness campaigns to educate people on water rationing. 

However, there had been poor response from the public. There had also been little action from people to check whether they had leakages at their homes so that they could save water, he said.

Al-Hussayen said the provision of cheap and often free water for a long time had resulted in considerable abuse. He said the Kingdom was a country that had few water resources but one of the world’s biggest consumers of the precious commodity.

He said that people who want to complain about high prices must contact the National Water Company. Any change in prices would have to be discussed by the Shoura Council, he said.

Al-Hussayen’s comments come in the wake of the Shoura reportedly stating that it had not been consulted about the price increases. The body said that it would study a report by the ministry on the increase in water tariffs, according to a media report.