Kathmandu, August 12

With drinking water suppliers failing to pay the service charge set at one per cent of their total revenue to the Water Supply Tariff Fixation Commission, the latter has not been able to monitor quality of drinking water supplied to the public.

Three drinking water supply companies owe Rs 22.2 million from the fiscal of 2072/73 BS under service charge to the commission.

As per the Drinking Water Revenue Determination Commission Act, 2063, water supply companies are required to make a payment of two per cent of their total revenue to the commission, but a later decision cut it down to one per cent.

Commission Chairman Upendra Kumar Adhikari said he is struggling to even run the office as the Kathmandu Valley Drinking Water Ltd and the Nepal Drinking Water Corporation were yet to pay the due amount.

He added that Bharatpur and Hetauda Drinking Water management boards have already made their payments.

“The commission has not been able to pay nine months’ salaries to their employees. The organisation does not even look like an office now without enough employees,” Adhikari added.

Without a source of income, the office has not been able to recruit more employees, and with less number of employees, it has not been able to carry out monitoring of water quality. This has led to a spike in the spread of water-borne diseases during monsoon season.

As the government does not allocate any budget to the commission, it is forced to draw income from water supply companies.