HWSC struggling to collect dues from consumers

Of Rs169m worth of bills, corporation could recover only Rs27m

HYDERABAD:

The Hyderabad Water and Sewerage Corporation (HWSC) struggles to collect its bills from a populace accustomed to free use of water and sanitation services which are deteriorating both due to official apathy and lack of public ownership.

Per HWSC consolidated record, as many as 143,003 consumers were issued bills amounting to Rs169,194,828 in July, of which only Rs27,968,975 was recovered, representing a mere 16.53% recovery. This shows a 0.19% decrease compared to June. The total recoveries from both commercial and domestic consumers amounted to Rs43,569,076 in July, while they were issued a total of Rs37,529,790 in bills.

According to the HWSC record, a 0.77 per cent increase has been recorded in the total rate of receiving monthly bills and arrears from commercial consumers in the month of July 2024 as compared to the month of June.

There has been an overall decrease of 0.19% in the collection of monthly bills and arrears from domestic consumers, while the number of commercial consumers has increased by four, bringing the total number of commercial consumers to 6,254. Meanwhile, the number of domestic consumers has increased by 115, reaching a total of 143,003.

In June, recovery was made from 1,182 commercial consumers for both current bills and arrears, which accounted for 18.91% of all consumers. In July, recovery was made from 1,285 commercial consumers, which amounted to 20.55% of the total. The Tax Department has divided the city, including Phuleli, Preetabad, Halanaka, Latifabad, Kohsar, SITE, and Qasimabad, into a total of seven zones and 39 wards. Out of these, bills were collected from more than 100 commercial consumers in only two wards.

According to the report, in July, commercial consumers were issued Rs52,272,263 in monthly bills, of which only 24.62% was recovered, amounting to Rs12,867,134. Moreover, Rs86,062,699 in arrears was also included in the current bills for commercial consumers, of which only 3.18%, or Rs2,732,967, was recovered.