Shoura calls for a hold on new water bills

The Shoura Council on Tuesday called on the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture to carry out a field study to get the exact picture about the real consumption of water by the citizens and make changes in the consumption slabs in accordance with the study.

It also urged the ministry to postpone implementation of issuing invoices based on the new water tariffs until after addressing the negativities in its application. The session was chaired by Muhammad Al-Jafri, deputy president of the Council.

Yahya Al-Samaan, assistant president of the Council, said that the Council demanded the ministry to conduct studies on how to rein in excessive water consumption in the Kingdom and prevent leakage on the household water network.

“The ministry must implement quickly the Saudi Building Code pertaining to water. It is indispensable for the ministry and the National Water Company to obtain necessary drilling permit from the concerned authorities before awarding water and sewage projects,” the Council said.

Al-Samaan said the Council also underlined the need for studies for water connectivity among various regions of the Kingdom in order to strengthen the concept of water security.

The Council made the remarks while discussing the annual report of the ministry, read out by Ali Al-Tukhais, chairman of the committee of water, agriculture and environment.