National Small Urban Drinking Water Consumers Federation said: Consumers are disappointed with the government’s move
Kathmandu. KATHMANDU: The National Federation of Small and Urban Water Consumers’ Consumers Nepal has said that although drinking water is a fundamental right of the citizens, the general public has not been able to get easy and affordable drinking water service due to the government’s poor management.
The Federation has said that instead of the state being serious and responsible for basic and essential services like drinking water, the government’s poor management has created frustration among the citizens.
According to the Federation, consumers operating drinking water services have to pay Value Added Tax (VAT) on electricity tariffs. This has increased the cost of production and distribution of drinking water, said Khem Raj Oli, president of the federation.
Similarly, the federation has alleged that there is a tendency to allocate budget for the drinking water sector on the basis of access and impact and not on the basis of needs and priorities. According to the Federation, drinking water consumers are facing difficulties in infrastructure construction and expansion of services due to high interest rates.
The federation has said that the government has failed to maintain effective monitoring, regulation and transparency of the drinking water consumer organizations.
The federation has also accused the monitoring at the local level to be ineffective due to political bias and weak performance.
The federation has demanded that the federal, provincial and local governments should work in a coordinated manner, taking drinking water as the fundamental right of the citizens and the fundamental responsibility of the state, not just a service. The federation has also urged the government to ensure impartial monitoring of drinking water consumers’ houses, transparent budget allocation, resolution of problems related to electricity tariff and tax, concessional interest rate and ensuring necessary investment in drinking water infrastructure. The Federation has drawn the attention of the government to take concrete steps in this regard as it is the prime responsibility of the government to provide safe, quality, regular and accessible drinking water to the general public.
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