Flowing frustration: Mysterious water bill surge drowns Thai homeowner in questions
A baffling water bill totalling 2,428 baht has left 42 year old homeowner seeking answers from the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA). Despite living in a three-person household with modest water usage, homeowner Kalya Kanfeun usually pays less than 200 baht per month.
A news team last night visited Kalya’s residence at 161, Moo 11, Klong Darn Subdistrict, Bang Bo District, Samut Prakan Province. Kalya showed the MWA water meter installed outside her small single-storey wooden house, spanning about 30 square metres.
The issue began when she didn’t receive her usual water bill on the ninth of the month. Upon checking with her neighbours and the MWA application, she discovered her bill had skyrocketed to 2,428 baht, a considerable increase from her usual 140 to 190 baht per month. She reported the issue via the MWA application.
Two days later, MWA officials informed her that an inspection found no leakages. They advised Kalya to contact the MWA office to request a meter check, which would entail additional costs, including the replacement of the meter. If the meter check found no issues, she would still be liable for the 2,428 baht water bill, reported Sanook.
Kalya feels this process is unfair, questioning why the MWA didn’t send officials to inspect and replace the meter without additional costs.
“Why are they making it inconvenient for citizens?”
She is confident that her household, consisting of three people who do laundry twice a week, couldn’t possibly have consumed water worth 2,428 baht.
She pleads with the MWA through the media to investigate the situation and ensure fairness. The high water bill has caused stress in her family, who live from hand to mouth. With fears of water being cut off, their problems seem to be piling up.
A few months ago, residents of Buriram were taken aback when they received water bills dating back six to nine years. The inaccuracies in these water bills stirred controversy and raised concerns about the local billing system. Read more HERE.
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