Imposing fees on sanitary services to be discussed

Manama : The Representatives’ Council is studying imposing fees on sanitary services provided to citizens and residents in the Kingdom.

According to the council’s Public Utilities and Environment Committee, this step comes to serve several purposes, such as retrieving some of the cost of services provided by the government in order to maintain its quality, covering the huge financial requirements of the sanitary and water discharge sector and to preserve the highest standards.

This matter was previously discussed among the legislators, who decided to return it to the committee for more studying.

Anyhow, there has been no clarity yet on the amount of the suggested charges.

Committee members gave the proposal a green light during a recent meeting and will review its recommendations with the remaining MPs during the upcoming weekly meeting on Tuesday.

In its previous discussions with the government, the committee consulted Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry, which stated that “amending the existing sewage and surface water discharge, by imposing fees on sanitation services for certain categories would contribute to compensating the huge spending of the government in this field.”

It announced earlier that BD300 million was invested in the field during the past 15 years. The ministry also added that 95pc of the areas in Bahrain are connected to a modern sewage network and keeping such advanced standards would require more spending.

Only expats

Committee Member Adel Al Assoomy previously rejected the proposal saying, “It would have direct and negative impact on the livelihoods of citizens. The additional fees shouldn’t include citizens’ domestic use, but other categories of consumers.”

As reported earlier by DT News, the fees will be imposed on expats and non-domestic users such as shops, factories and other facilities.

Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee Member Isa Turki explained to DT News yesterday that the proposal was originally submitted by the government to the previous council (2010-2014) and that it stipulated that fees should be imposed on all beneficiaries.

The lawmaker added that majority of MPs of the existing council rejected it and made some amendments to benefit citizens by excluding them and only impose the charges on non-Bahrainis.