“The spot billing system will solve the apprehensions of the consumers regarding the existing system.

The new method will help issuance of the bill on the spot, based on the meter reading,” a KWA official said.

“Many people are not aware of the billing tariff.

The tariff was restructured in September 2008. The new charges for water consumption up to 5 kilo litres is Rs 20. KWA’s calculation is that a person requires 200 litres of water a day. So for a month, he will be requiring 6,000 litres,” the official said.

“A five-member family requires 30 kilo litres of water and as per the revised slab, for 20-30 kilo litre usage, the minimum charge will be Rs 90. And for each kilo litre above 20, Rs 6 will be charged. So the average bill amount will be around Rs 150,” he said.

Meanwhile, various resident associations and consumer organisations are complaining that the huge hike in water tax is an extra burden for them. The number of people visiting the water authority offices seeking clarification on water bills is increasing.

But the KWA official denied that there were flaws in the current billing system.

He said that once the spot billing system was implemented, the complaints would be solved.

But the main hurdle before the spot-billing project is shortage of manpower.

“We have already reached an understanding with various Kudumbasree units to provide manpower for spot-billing. We will have to sort out the unidentified connections also,” the official added.