The Nepal Drinking Water Supply Corporation (NWSC), Pokhara, has planned to cut supply lines to all customers who have not paid their bills for years. Reportedly, it has the largest number of defaulters, some of whom have not bothered to pay their bills for the last 30 years. The total dues are estimated to be over Rs 70 million. Pokhara Sub-Metropolitan City built around 174 public taps throughout the city some 20 years ago. However, the Sub-metropolitan office too has not cleared its dues, which amount to over Rs10 million. Meanwhile, NWSC, Pokhara, is planning to implement a 15-year project to further facilitate regular water supply in the city.

Similar is the case in other cities, where customers have defaulted on their payments for years. However, it is beyond one’s comprehension why NWSC management has been unable to take action against them for so long? This is one reason why NWSC, which is supposed to be a profit-making organisation instead continues to suffer heavy losses. But NWSC is not free of blame either. In some cities, especially the capital, NWSC has failed to ensure regular water supply, a job recently taken over by another company run by foreign management. At times, the water supplied is too dirty to be used, let alone drink. Any hikes in water charges cannot be justified without better service.