كشفت الهيئة السعودية للمياه، دليل تقديم خدمات المياه والصرف الصحي، وأشارت إلى أنه في حال انقطاع الخدمة لمدة تزيد على 48 ساعة بسبب خلل يعود لمقدم الخدمة، فيحق للمستهلك المتأثر بالانقطاع طلب صهريج مجاني بسعة 12 طناً، ويتم توصيله خلال مدة لا تتجاوز 12 ساعة من طلبه.
وبحسب «مسودة الدليل» - اطلعت عليها «عكاظ» - يحظر على مقدم الخدمة التمييز بين المستهلكين في تقديم خدماته أو عروضه أو ممارسة صلاحياته أو حقوقه، ويلتزم مقدم الخدمة بإتاحة المعلومات الكافية للعموم عن الخدمة ومعايير تقديمها والتعريفة والمقابل المالي للخدمات التي يقدمها للمستهلكين وحقوقهم والتزاماتهم وأي معلومات أخرى تحددها الهيئة وأية تحديثات تطرأ عليها. وأشارت المسودة إلى أنه يحظر على المستهلك أن يسمح للغير بالاستفادة من توصيلته، أو إعطاء الماء للغير بالمجان أو بمقابل مالي، ويعد مسؤولًا أمام الهيئة ومقدم الخدمة عن أية أضرار أو مخالفات بالعداد أو الحساب ولو كان العقار مشاعاً. ويحظر على مقدم الخدمة إيصال خدمات المياه والصرف الصحي للعقارات السكنية، التي لا يوجد لها صكوك شرعية أو مستندات ملكية معتبرة، ويلتزم بإصدار الفواتير على المستهلك بشكل شهري، على أن يكون تاريخ استحقاق الفاتورة والمطالبة بها من قبل مقدم الخدمة يوم الـ28 من كل شهر ميلادي.
ويلتزم مقدم الخدمة بإيقاف خدمة المياه عن أي مستهلك بسبب تجاوز الرصيد المستحق غير المسدد 1,000 ريال أو عدم سداد ثلاث فواتير متتالية، على أن يتم مراعاة حساب مدة الإنذار لعدم السداد من تاريخ استحقاق سداد الفاتورة، وتمتد لمدة 15 يوماً، وتتخلل المدة رسالتا تذكير (رسالة إشعار بعدم السداد ورسالة إنذار بالإيقاف)، وبعد انتهاء المدة يتم إرسال إبلاغ مسبب بالإيقاف للمستهلك بعد إيقاف الخدمة، ويلتزم مقدم الخدمة بإيقاف خدمة المياه خلال 5 أيام بعد انتهاء مدة الإنذار، وفي حال إيقاف الخدمة بوضع ملصق بإيقاف الخدمة على العداد، وتوثيق ذلك بالصور، موضح بها قفل العداد ورقم العداد وملصق إيقاف الخدمة، وفي حال فصل الخدمة يتم إغلاق محبس العداد وتركيب قفل عليه أو طبة. أما في حال عدم التزام مقدم الخدمة بالإجراءات فلا يحق له الرجوع على المستفيد بما يزيد عن استهلاك 12 شهراً، وبما لا يزيد على متوسط الاستهلاك قبل الارتفاع - في حال وجود ارتفاع.
ويحق لمقدم الخدمة قفل التوصيلة بطبة أو إزالتها في حال التعدي على العداد بإعادة الخدمة بطريقة غير نظامية لمرتين متتالية أو ثلاث مرات متفرقة خلال السنة الميلادية الواحدة، شريطة ضبط مخالفة التعدي على العداد بعد قفله.
وحددت الهيئة الأوقات والحالات التي يحظر فيها إيقاف خدمة المياه لعدم السداد وهي شهر رمضان لفئة الاستهلاك السكني، عيد الفطر وعيد الأضحى واليوم الوطني ويوم التأسيس، موسم الحج في مدينتي مكة المكرمة والمدينة المنورة من الأول حتى يوم 20 من شهر ذي الحجة من كل عام هجري لجميع فئات الاستهلاك، إذا كان هناك شكوى رسمية قائمة ذات علاقة بالفاتورة، ولم يتم الفصل فيها و الحالات الطارئة التي يتم تحديدها من الهيئة ويبلغ بها مقدم الخدمة ويلتزم مقدم الخدمة بإعادة خدمة المياه خلال مدة أقصاها 24 ساعة من وقت السداد، ويتحمل المستهلك المقابل المالي لإعادة الخدمة ويُضاف مبلغ 100 ريال إلى الفاتورة بعد كل عملية إعادة للخدمة بعد فصلها بسبب عدم سداد المستهلك للفواتير أو عدم تحديث بياناته أو في حال طلب العميل إعادة الخدمة بعد طلبه لإيقاف الخدمة مؤقتاً.
5 حالات يحظر فيها إيقاف خدمة المياه لعدم السداد
17 يوليو 2025 - 02:51
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آخر تحديث 17 يوليو 2025 - 02:51
تابع قناة عكاظ على الواتساب
عبدالله القرني (الرياض) abs912@
The Saudi Water Authority has revealed the guide for providing water and sewage services, indicating that if the service is interrupted for more than 48 hours due to a fault on the part of the service provider, the affected consumer has the right to request a free tanker with a capacity of 12 tons, which will be delivered within a maximum of 12 hours from the time of the request.
According to the "draft guide" - which "Okaz" has reviewed - the service provider is prohibited from discriminating between consumers in providing its services or offers or exercising its powers or rights. The service provider is obliged to make sufficient information available to the public about the service, the standards for its provision, the tariffs, the financial compensation for the services it provides to consumers, their rights and obligations, and any other information specified by the authority and any updates that occur. The draft indicated that consumers are prohibited from allowing others to benefit from their connection, or giving water to others for free or for a fee, and they are responsible before the authority and the service provider for any damages or violations related to the meter or account, even if the property is communal. It is prohibited for the service provider to supply water and sewage services to residential properties that do not have legal deeds or valid ownership documents, and it is obliged to issue monthly bills to the consumer, with the due date for the bill and the demand for payment by the service provider being the 28th of each Gregorian month.
The service provider is obliged to suspend water service to any consumer due to exceeding the outstanding unpaid balance of 1,000 riyals or failing to pay three consecutive bills, taking into account the calculation of the warning period for non-payment from the due date of the bill, which extends for 15 days, during which two reminder messages are sent (a non-payment notification message and a suspension warning message). After the period ends, a reasoned notification of suspension is sent to the consumer after the service is suspended, and the service provider is obliged to suspend water service within 5 days after the warning period ends. In the case of service suspension, a sticker indicating service suspension is placed on the meter, and this is documented with photos showing the meter lock, meter number, and service suspension sticker. If the service is disconnected, the meter valve is closed, and a lock or plug is installed on it. If the service provider does not comply with the procedures, they have no right to charge the beneficiary for more than 12 months of consumption, and not exceeding the average consumption before the increase - in case of an increase.
The service provider has the right to close the connection with a plug or remove it in case of tampering with the meter by restoring the service in an irregular manner for two consecutive times or three separate times within one Gregorian year, provided that a violation of tampering with the meter is documented after it has been closed.
The authority has specified the times and cases in which the suspension of water service for non-payment is prohibited, which are the month of Ramadan for residential consumption, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, the National Day, and the Founding Day, as well as the Hajj season in the cities of Mecca and Medina from the first until the 20th of Dhu al-Hijjah each Hijri year for all consumption categories, if there is an ongoing official complaint related to the bill that has not been resolved, and emergency cases determined by the authority and communicated to the service provider. The service provider is obliged to restore water service within a maximum of 24 hours from the time of payment, and the consumer bears the financial cost of restoring the service, with an additional charge of 100 riyals added to the bill after each restoration of service following disconnection due to the consumer's non-payment of bills or failure to update their data, or in case the customer requests service restoration after requesting a temporary service suspension.
According to the "draft guide" - which "Okaz" has reviewed - the service provider is prohibited from discriminating between consumers in providing its services or offers or exercising its powers or rights. The service provider is obliged to make sufficient information available to the public about the service, the standards for its provision, the tariffs, the financial compensation for the services it provides to consumers, their rights and obligations, and any other information specified by the authority and any updates that occur. The draft indicated that consumers are prohibited from allowing others to benefit from their connection, or giving water to others for free or for a fee, and they are responsible before the authority and the service provider for any damages or violations related to the meter or account, even if the property is communal. It is prohibited for the service provider to supply water and sewage services to residential properties that do not have legal deeds or valid ownership documents, and it is obliged to issue monthly bills to the consumer, with the due date for the bill and the demand for payment by the service provider being the 28th of each Gregorian month.
The service provider is obliged to suspend water service to any consumer due to exceeding the outstanding unpaid balance of 1,000 riyals or failing to pay three consecutive bills, taking into account the calculation of the warning period for non-payment from the due date of the bill, which extends for 15 days, during which two reminder messages are sent (a non-payment notification message and a suspension warning message). After the period ends, a reasoned notification of suspension is sent to the consumer after the service is suspended, and the service provider is obliged to suspend water service within 5 days after the warning period ends. In the case of service suspension, a sticker indicating service suspension is placed on the meter, and this is documented with photos showing the meter lock, meter number, and service suspension sticker. If the service is disconnected, the meter valve is closed, and a lock or plug is installed on it. If the service provider does not comply with the procedures, they have no right to charge the beneficiary for more than 12 months of consumption, and not exceeding the average consumption before the increase - in case of an increase.
The service provider has the right to close the connection with a plug or remove it in case of tampering with the meter by restoring the service in an irregular manner for two consecutive times or three separate times within one Gregorian year, provided that a violation of tampering with the meter is documented after it has been closed.
The authority has specified the times and cases in which the suspension of water service for non-payment is prohibited, which are the month of Ramadan for residential consumption, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, the National Day, and the Founding Day, as well as the Hajj season in the cities of Mecca and Medina from the first until the 20th of Dhu al-Hijjah each Hijri year for all consumption categories, if there is an ongoing official complaint related to the bill that has not been resolved, and emergency cases determined by the authority and communicated to the service provider. The service provider is obliged to restore water service within a maximum of 24 hours from the time of payment, and the consumer bears the financial cost of restoring the service, with an additional charge of 100 riyals added to the bill after each restoration of service following disconnection due to the consumer's non-payment of bills or failure to update their data, or in case the customer requests service restoration after requesting a temporary service suspension.
