Lawmakers from the pro-establishment camp said they have recently received complaints from citizens that they have received sky-high water bills they can’t afford due to fewer meter checks by authorities amid the epidemic. Holden Chow Ho-ding, a lawmaker from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said given the epidemic, most staff of the Water Supplies Department were working from home, where they could only use estimations instead of actual readings when issuing the bills. The alliance said some of the complaints they received reflected people getting bills that is 20 times more than their usual charge. He urged the government to exercise flexibility to those on low-incomes who might struggle to pay water charges for many months of usage all in one go. “The government should also consider waiving part of the fees of water bills to ease the pain, especially for the grassroots amid such hard times,” the lawmaker added.

Source: The Standard January 15, 2021 06:45 UTC