DISTURBING WATER BILL

Isikeli Toroca, Suva

A 76-year-old widow at Visako Circle in Nadera, suffered a horrifying experience two weeks ago.

She was given a water bill totalling $1940.71, which is due for payment tomorrow.

The woman lost her husband and daughter and has just recovered from an illness. The high-water bill is now making her life more miserable, where she is constantly worried about how to pay the bill, and when the Water Authority people will come and disconnect her meter.

Her normal water bill would usually be less than $20, which makes sense since she lives alone. She has also been told to pay up at least $900 to stay connected and then pay instalments.

However, the question is, how does a usual $20 water bill equate to $1900 in a flash?

I hope that the authority concerned can shed more light on this. But my guess is, there are probably more customers trapped in a similar situation.