RIYADH: Shoura Council members here grilled Minister of Water and Electricity Abdullah Al-Hussayen and his officials recently on high water bills received by some citizens.

Al-Hussayen appeared before the water, agriculture and environment committee, in the presence of Deputy President of the Shoura Council Mohammad Al-Jafri, a local publication reported.

However, several members of the committee appeared unconvinced with the minister’s explanation that citizens were responsible for high water consumption and therefore higher bills.

Al-Hussayen had begun the meeting with a power point presentation on water consumption per capita in the country, saying that Saudi Arabia was one of the world’s highest consumer countries despite scarcity of water resources.

He said the government spends a great deal to produce and distribute water in the country, and that it had launched several campaigns to educate the public about rationalyzing water usage. In addition, the government had distributed water-saving devices to 3 million homes.

During the meeting, chairman of the committee Ali Al-Takhis and fellow members questioned the ministry about its annual report and the impact of the new tariffs on citizens. The meeting was attended by President of the National Water Company Loay bin Ahmad Al-Musallam.

Al-Jafri thanked the minister for his explanations and said direct meetings with government officials help Shoura committees produce reports leading to sound policy making and consequently better services for citizens.

Shoura Council member Mohammad Al-Khneizi said citizens needed their complaints about high water bills heard. He said it was not logical for bills to rise from SR40 or SR50 to SR1,000.

He urged the ministry to clarify reasons behind the new water tariffs. He recommended that the ministry introduce the new prices gradually and launch more awareness campaigns on rationalization.