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Committee to review sewerage charges in Ajman
AJMAN - The crisis faced by Ajman residents who have objected to the charges
Introduced by the Ajman Sewerage Company in order to connect their residences to the sewerage networks in the emirate, is currently being handled by a special committee set up recently to find a solution to the issue.
Residents voiced their concerns following the notices issued by the company warning them that the delay in payment of the connection charges will subject defaulters to a fine of Dh2,000 if they do not respond within 15 days, in addition to threat to have the power disconnected by the Federal Electricity and Water Authority (FEWA) upon requests from the sewerage company.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, an Ajman resident said that the committee which is composed of several residents, conducted a statistical report to study the income of Ajman residents and their capability to pay the charges specified by the company.
"According to the study, around 90 per cent of Ajman residents receive limited salary and are not financially capable of paying the said charges," he said. This fact prompted a number of residents to seek the intervention of the government authorities to exempt them from payment of the charges. The resident who spoke on condition of anonymity said that residents had also made several proposals such as suggesting to the government to sign a contract with another company to carry out the project at a lower cost without big financial and bank commitments or high salaries to be paid for foreign engineers and workers and eventually to be collected from residents.
Water tax
Issuing a tax of 25 per cent on water consumption to fund the project was also among the proposals, the resident said, urging the authorities concerned to revise charges taking into account the financial conditions of Ajman residents.
A member of the committee told Khaleej Times that the committee has proposed an amended list of charges to be discussed with the company and residents, noting that it takes into consideration the financial conditions of residents in Ajman.
According to the new proposed list, residents can pay 20 per cent of the total charges upon registration with the company, 20 per cent after one year, 40 per cent when the property is connected to the sewerage network, and 20 per cent when the network starts actually operating.
The member said that the committee will work on resolving the pending dispute, adding that residents had many reservations and had complained about the company's intention to make them pay the charges before even benefiting from the sewerage network that may take a long time to be completed.
He stressed the importance of reaching a compromise to preserve the rights of residents and to support the implementation of such important developmental infrastructure projects.
Bob Taylor, General Manager of Ajman Sewerage company, told Khaleej Times that the company would introduce slight changes to the charges of connecting residences to the Ajman sewerage network within logical margins, taking into consideration the company's strong financial commitments with the beginning of construction works.
"The agreement included a mechanism for introducing slight changes to the charges within logical margins," he said, adding that the list of charges issued earlier by the company was included in the agreements signed with Ajman Government in May 2002.
He explained that the company specified around 70 different charges based on the various types of properties. "Ajman government anticipated that some could not pay the charges, this fact prompted the company to introduce an installment scheme to lessen the burden on residents," he added.
"Residents can pay 20 per cent of the total charges just upon registration, 30 per cent after six months, 35 per cent when the property is connected to the network, and then the final payment which is around 15 per cent after six months from the date of connecting the property," Mr Taylor noted.
As for warnings issued to residents about possible disconnection of electricity power if they fail to pay, he asserted that the agreement which was signed with the FEWA, gives Ajman Sewerage company the right to submit such requests to the authority on the disconnection of power and not water.
He pointed out that the project is active and residents in Ajman are very much aware about its advantages "I am sure they are not fighting it," he said.
In an earlier interview with Khaleej Times, Mohammed Khalil Al Shamsi, Director of Public Relations at the FEWA, asserted that FEWA is the only authority that has the right to warn defaulters and disconnect power. He added that the regulations and laws of FEWA are implemented in Ajman since there are no local authorities running the electricity and water day to day matters.
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