“Unless You Pay Water Bills, You Will Sit in Darkness!” - Particularly Severe Verdict for Poti Residents
November 12, 2010
Inga Gvasalia, Samegrelo
Much was said and written about failed project of water-supply system in Poti. Nothing has been changed in the main port city of Georgia recently – Poti is still water-supplied only once in two days for several hours. Nobody knows when the reconstruction of the water system will finish. Colossal funds are necessary for the rehabilitation of the system.
In addition to that, mostly, it is impossible to drink the water because it is not healthy enough. Collecting arrears on water bills is very difficult and painful process. Water-supply was stopped for many residential buildings for several days in order to punish and threaten disobedient subscribers. However, those subscribers who pay water bills every month were punished too.
Apparently, the simple method of punishment did not work and the administration of the water distribution company worked out a new rule – from December, electricity supply will be stopped for those subscribers who do not pay water bills even though they have paid electricity bills. The Regulation Commission of Energy and Water Supply made decision - “Telasi” and “Energo-Pro Georgia” were ordered to calculate the current arrears of their subscribers.
The chairman of the commission Grigol Chalagashvili said the commission ordered the water distribution companies to restructure the arrears if subscribers apply to them with similar request. Restructuration means division of the arrears in minimum 36 months. As for disputable debts, Chalagashvili said the subscriber can file complaint to the Regulation Commission of Energy and Water Supply.
The process of collecting water-bills started in September with severe sanctions and requirements: “You should pay water bills like you pay electricity bills,” we were told at the Poti service center of the West Water. It was unofficial statement of the head of the service center because he cannot make official comment on the fact. So, many questions of citizens remained without answer.”
Despite much effort, we could not find out the exact amount of accumulated debts of the population. Supposedly, the total sum is 211 000 GEL and the water distribution company managed to collect only 76 000 GEL. We could not receive clarifications about many interesting details; for example, why they did not measure the amount of the used water. Many subscribers were not on the list at all; mostly the inhabitants of the residential buildings. In several places, the bill arrears of the residential building were divided among the inhabitants and each family had to pay 10 GEL.
In parallel to it, the citizens were to pay 2, 40 GEL for per person in the family. The payments according to the water-meters are different – inhabitants of the residential buildings have to pay 80 tetri for one tone of water while inhabitants of detached houses have to pay 55 tetri for one tone of water. Legal entities have to pay 3, 40 GEL for the same amount of water per month. In parallel to severe sanctions, the discontent of the population has increased. Very often, the subscribers receive bills for personal payments alongside the bill for water-meters. In similar cases, the water meters are not registered and the subscribers have to pay double bills.
The case of water-meters confuses subscribers because Chinese meters, which were installed in the previous years, do not comply with the standard and should be changed. It causes discontent of the population. There is Russian standard meter which costs 50 GEL and every subscriber shall install it. Otherwise, they will have to pay fine of 500 GEL.
Another problem is quality of the drinking water. The Water Distribution Company justifies itself by old, damaged and rusty pipes. About 112-kilometer-long pipes shall be replaced and installed in the city till the end of the year. Before that, as we were told, the Company cannot be responsible for the water quality because there is no problem in the outfall building of the water-system. They chlorinate and filter the drinking water every hour but the water gets polluted in the rusty and damaged pipes. Dirt gets into the damaged pipes and consequently, one district of the city receives clean water while another part receives polluted water.
Subscribers apply to the Poti service center of the West Water almost every day and request repair of the damaged pipes. The repair process has prolonged. The representatives of the service center clarify that they do not have enough and suitable technique to eradicate the problems timely. Meanwhile, people – mostly children – get poisoned by water and are taken to hospital almost every day.
The problem of sewerage system is also very urgent in Poti. Although much was done to eradicate the problem, fecal water is often seen in most streets and areas near residential buildings in the city.
It would have been better if the water distribution company had supplied the subscribers with healthy water first, had rehabilitated the pipes and only after that they could use severe measures against disobedient subscribers. Nobody argues that everybody should pay bills honestly but the rights of subscribers shall be protected as well. Soon, if people do not pay water bills, they will have to live in darkness.
The directors of the corresponding institutions refuse journalists to make comments on the problems and send them to other officials as a rule. So, working on this article, we unsuccessfully tried to learn more than we have written here. Nobody replied to our questions at the Poti city council and regional administration. We could not get proper answers from the press-centers of the abovementioned institutions.
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