Water company cuts supply to defaulters as unpaid bills reach JD30 million

AMMAN — The Yarmouk Water Company, which manages water and wastewater services in the northern governorates, is suspending water supply from subscribers who have unpaid water bills, company's director Hassan Hazaimeh said on Tuesday.

The company last year initiated a campaign to collect water debts and cut water services from subscribers who have not paid their water bills, Hazaimeh said.

"The collective amount of unpaid water bills in Jerash, Irbid, Ajloun and Mafraq, where the company operates, stands at JD30 million," Hazaimeh told The Jordan Times.

Over the past year, the company managed to collect JD2 million out of the total outstanding water bills, he said, noting that the company is pressing ahead with its "strict campaign".

"The company, however, started a new approach this year in addressing the issue of unpaid water bills. We are sending messages via the messaging mobile application Whatsapp to notify subscribers with due water bills of the date of cutting off the water service," Hazaimeh said.

Via its mobile number, 0797677782, the company is texting subscribers who have due water bills with notifications of the date of the planned water suspension one week ahead, he said, noting that this notification seeks to give subscribers another chance before cutting off their water services.

"There is a large number of subscribers who don’t pay their water bills. But the number of subscribers with substantial outstanding water bills stands at 15,000 subscribers," he noted.

The company provides water services to 328,000 subscribers and wastewater services to 140,000 subscribers in the four northern governorates, Hazaimeh said, noting that it annually pumps some 87 million cubic metres of water.

"Collecting the unpaid water bills helps us sustain the water services in the north and also allows us to initiate new water projects and dig new wells to improve water supply," Hazaimeh noted.

The Ministry of Water and Irrigation last year announced that it was seizing the assets of water subscribers in the northern region who failed to pay their bills. The names of water subscribers with outstanding bills have been published in the Official Gazette.

"The campaign is ongoing to collect all unpaid water bills in different parts of the country," ministry's spokesperson Omar Salameh said on Tuesday.

The Department of Land and Survey, all the banks, the Driver and Motor Vehicle Licensing Department, the Income and Sales Tax Department and other government agencies have all been notified to place a notice that the assets of subscribers with unpaid water bills will be seized.