While shifting from a quarterly water billing system to a monthly one for consumers, Orange City Water (OCW) has claimed that the new system is intended for the convenience of consumers. However, a glance at data from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) suggests that the decision was made primarily to expedite the collection of pending dues, as OCW-NMC is burdened with whopping Rs 208 crore in outstanding water bill payments. According to statistics, OCW-NMC is awaiting dues totalling Rs 208 crore, with the Satranjipura Zone of NMC leading the list with dues of Rs 44.57 crore.

 

 

This is followed by Rs 40.65 crore from the Ashi Nagar Zone, Rs 26.61 crore from the Gandhibagh Zone, Rs 25.10 crore from the Lakadganj Zone, Rs 20.35 crore from the Dharampeth Zone, Rs 16.73 crore from the Nehru Nagar Zone, Rs 16.71 crore from the Mangalwari Zone, Rs 7.20 crore from the Laxmi Nagar Zone, Rs 6.05 crore from the Dhantoli Zone, and Rs 4.82 crore from the Hanuman Nagar Zone. Sources in the administration have indicated that the recovery of water bills is a major challenge for the water supply company, as many consumers are not paying their bills. According to the data, OCW-NMC generates water bills totaling Rs 58.88 crore for its 398,744 consumers each quarter, but only 53.35 percent of these bills are paid which leaves a major portion unpaid each billing cycle. A senior official stated that OCW-NMC has failed miserably in recovering bills from its consumers which resulted in a total arrears balance of Rs 208 crore.

 

He further noted that while around 700 million liters per day (MLD) of water is being supplied to consumers and bills are generated for only about 400 MLD which could reveal the extent of water theft in the city. To improve the recovery of outstanding water bill dues, OCW has initiated the transition to a monthly billing cycle and claimed it will provide more manageable payment schedules for consumers.