Chattogram WASA supplies water to 78,542 residences and 7,767 commercial establishments. He then charged each customer about 4,000 taka for the mechanical meter, and the cost of the new meter would also be passed on to the customers. Chattogram WASA argues that once digital meters are installed there will be no need for manual meter reading, but when purchasing mechanical meters they state that ‘better quality’ meters are being purchased and will bill accurately.
Consumers Association Bangladesh (CAB) vice-president SM Nazar Hossain told Prothom Alo that Chattogram WASA is ready to pass the cost burden on to customers for the second time. Speaking on condition of anonymity, five customers and a board member of Chattogram WASA alleged that officials make purchases arbitrarily without any definite plan. Now, they are planning to purchase another 90,000 meters, while the installation of the 3,000 meters purchased earlier is still not complete. Why would they think that these water meters are defective and that there could be an error in the bill two years after purchasing them? Why didn’t WASA officials think of this before?