Inga Gvasalia, Samegrelo
The water problem has still not been solved in Poti. Poti residents no longer believe in the promise of 24-hour water supply and think that the President Saakashvili has lied to them. The water is still provided only once in every two days, just for several hours.
New tariffs of water and stricter mechanisms for compelling subscribers to pay bill arrears added on to the problem of water supply. This caused an anxiety in the population. There were long lines at the service center of West Water Supply Company. The receipts handed out to the people in the beginning of April caused a problem. The debts had been increased for some vague reason according to the receipts.
Compelling subscribers to pay bill arrears started with strict sanctions and demands. The pipes had been cut. The water supply was ceased for the whole apartment buildings for some times. Thus the water was also cut for the conscientious subscribers who did not have any debts.
As it seems, threats and punishments were unsuccessful. Thus, the water company applied different measures for compelling subscribers to pay bill arrears. The Electricity and Water Regulatory Commission made a decision in December according to which the electricity provision would be stopped if the subscriber did not pay bill.
This decision has not taken force in practice yet. However, the receipts handed out to the population caused anxiety and anger.
It has been several days that people are standing in lines in the water company. They are trying “to find justice.” The citizens are asked to write the complaints. Then they figure out that the increased debt indicated in the receipt is a mistake and the subscribers have already paid the debts.
“The room for correcting mistakes” got filled with people. 78-year-old Zaira Malania asked the operator how come that the debt of 168 GEL was indicated in the receipt. It turned out that she had received receipt on the behalf of her mother who had died twenty year ago.
“I live alone. I do not use much water. As a single elder, I did not have to pay the water tariff till now. Last year they brought me a receipt according to which I had to pay 5 GEL. How come I have to pay 168 GEL now?! I live on 80 GEL pension. I cannot even buy medicines and how can I pay so much money?!” – stated the concerned elder.
She tore the receipt in front of the operator and said that she is not going to pay this senseless debt.
As we found out, the people with the status of helpless and the IDPs did not have to pay the water tariffs and received social assistance during 2010. Poti local government covered three GEL every month for people belonging to this category. They had to pay the rest independently. Since 2011 this privilege has been abolished.
In “the room for correcting mistakes” unsatisfied citizens were told that if they fully present the cheques of the previous bills, they did not have to pay attention to numbers indicated on these receipts.
These tariffs raise a lot of questions and uncertainty. The citizens cannot understand where this so-called canalization tariff came from added on to the water tariff. The relevant service explained that the Asia Bank which financed the Poti water project determined the existent tariffs and the Electricity and Water Regulatory Commission did as well. They determined that one individual spends 2.55 ton water averagely in a month. This number has been multiplied by the cost of 1 ton of water which is 0.55 GEL. The result 1.40 GEL is a water tariff on one person. This number is increased by the cost of canalization service – 0.25 GEL. This is how the tariff of water supply 0.64 GEL was determined. Water tariff on one ton of water is 80 tetri in the apartment building and 55 tetri in the houses.
The payment of canalization tariff was very obscure for people. The subscribers living in the private houses had to pay this tariff as well. However, they are not attached to the canalization system. This mistake has been confirmed. However, the relevant department explained that if the canalization pipes are constructed in the street, it should be ascertained who is attached to the system and who is not. The people who are not attached to the system, will have to write complaint which will be certified at the spot and then the water supply tariff will be removed.
The issue of determination of the number of family members also causes uncertainty. There are cases when there is different data on the number of family members of the same family of subscriber. We tried to ascertain this issue – what lists the water supply company used and why the number of family members changed during three months. We did not receive responses.
There frequent cases of people being absent for years and still they receive water debt receipts. The water supply company states that in this case they should ask to be removed from the city registration. Otherwise, it is practically impossible to control this issue.
Who is responsible for the mistakes and chaos made in Poti?
It is practically impossible to receive comments on these issues in the service center of West Water Supply Company. This department, like many other departments in our country is extremely centralized. It is hard to obtain information from the local officials. They respond only after they receive directives form the central office. However, central office avoids our questions for some reasons.
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