Even as the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) is struggling to pay its electricity bills, its own consumers, including various State government departments, owe the cash-strapped water utility a whopping ₹1,543.86 crore in water charges, as per the latest available data.
Various State government departments owe the KWA ₹112.02 crore, public sector undertakings ₹8.38 crore, and private companies ₹84.9 crore, as of December 31. The KWA is yet to receive ₹949.96 crore for water supplied to public taps and ₹388.60 crore for special connections, Sabarimala supply, and Jalanidhi, show State Assembly records.
Among the 31 State government departments on the list of defaulters, medical colleges and the health department have run-up arrears to the tune of ₹27.05 crore, the PWD ₹25.59 crore, municipalities ₹12 crore, the General Education department ₹9.4 crore, and the Local Self-Government department ₹4.2 crore.
Escrow account
The latest data on arrears have been published at a time when the KWA is struggling to pay its electricity bills to the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB). As of December 31, the KWA owed the KSEB ₹ 1,718.02 crore. To settle the dues, the Finance department had approved an escrow account, which would require the KWA to remit ₹9.5 crore every month towards electricity charges.
Last year, the KWA had revised the water tariffs in the State. Although the hike helped to raise an additional ₹212.7 crore in revenues till December, it has scarcely solved the financial woes of the water utility.
