Why do utility services sabotage the installation of water meters?

The Movement for Freedom (the MFF) Biaroza town activists demand to perform the installation of water meters in the family type hostels.

The local Housing and Utilities Service wrote back a simple runaround to the collective appeal initiated by the MFF members, though – in accordance with the Law – a meeting with the appellants should have been held.

The next appeal was sent to the Biaroza Town Executive Committee. In his turn, the Executive Committee head sent the inquiry to the Lida District Housing and Utilities Service (which includes Biaroza Housing and Utilities Service) but received the same answer: “Installing water meters in the pre-cast structure hostel buildings which have common kitchens is economically inexpedient”.

The hostels residents think that “economical inexpediency” for the Housing and Utilities Service means that having installed water meters the utility services wouldn’t manage to charge people with additional volumes of water which flows out from water supply system during various accidents and faults. So, even common meters for separate buildings would allow people reserving their money and would force utility services to work more diligently.

Hostels residents are ready to install meters at own expense, though these buildings are on the Housing and Utilities Service balance. People agree to install common water meters even for each pipe or for each building section.

People rightly hope that water meters would allow decreasing the costs of water use which now amounts to some 40% of the total sum of utility payments. For example, the household of four people occupying the 39 m2 premises paid some €10 (Br 42,000) for water out of the total €28 (Br 114,000) in November and some €14 (Br 57,000) out of the total €36 (Br 146,000) in December.

The activists consider that such attitude of the utility services contradicts the energy conservation policy of the state and are preparing a corresponding appeal to the Housing and Utility Service Administration of the Hrodna Province Executive Committee.

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