Government Urged To Review 'inflated' Water Charges

Members of the Democratic Party staged a protest outside the Water Supplies Department on Friday, saying people have been getting sky-high bills during the pandemic, because meters have not been read as often as normal.

The party said it had received complaints from people who say their water bills have suddenly shot up for no apparent reason, after some Water Supplies staff worked from home rather than going out to check meters.

One man in his 90s who lives alone is said to have received a delayed bill of HK$700 for eight months' worth of water, double what he expected.

The party said it suspects because the tariff structure is progressive, by the time the bill was calculated, the man was being charged at the most expensive tier four rate, when ordinarily, his water usage only reaches lower tier charges.

But when the man complained, he reportedly only received two dollars as a refund.

Tsang Tsz-ming, a district councilor from the party, says the review process for bills is not transparent and it's far too slow.

“It might takes years to get the whole refund”, Tsang complained.

“If you cannot pay the bill on time, they will charge you some extra charges, or to sue you. But when you ask for refunds, it takes years and years to get the money back? That's a problem.”

The party is calling on the authorities to explain what's going on with people's bills and to look again at all those they've sent out over the past six months.