A proposal regulating the additional tariff imposed by concessionaires on water bills due to system losses or non-revenue water has been filed before the House of Representatives.
Deputy Speaker Rep. Sergio Apostol of Leyte, in House Bill 6223, said he intends to secure the affordability of water and ensure that charges imposed on consumers are reasonable.
“Water is a basic commodity, a daily necessity significant to performing daily tasks, and is highly vital in securing proper sanitation and good health,” Apostol said.
Apostol said everyone should be given proper access to water in a just manner, thus, consequences due to some lapses in water system and management should not be passed on to the paying consumers.
In filing the bill, Apostol cited the declared policy of the State to ensure the availability to consumers of affordable and high-quality basic and prime commodities.
He said water companies should not heavily burden the consumers who are already saddled with other taxes by placing additional high tariffs to water bills due to Non-Revenue Water.
Apostol said Non-Revenue Water is defined as “the difference between system input volume and billed authorized consumption,” which is composed of apparent water losses and real water losses.
“The amount of NRW can be easily used as an indicator of poor utility right to protect water consumers from higher water bills and consequently exhort these companies to improve their facilities and further enhance their system of management, delivery, monitoring and maintenance to reduce NRW,” Apostol stressed.
Under the bill, additional tariff added to water bills due to Non-Revenue Water should be properly regulated and should not be more than 10 percent of the total percentage of NRW for each month.
The National Water Resources Board should regulate the additional charges of water companies on NRW to its consumers and should ensure that the augmentation of the water bill due to NRW would not go beyond 10 percent of the NRW per month.