BY Dinitha Rathnayake   The National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) has officially informed Speaker of the Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana about the water bill related arrears of very important persons (VIPs). Speaking to The Morning, NWSDB Assistant General Manager Piyal Pathmanatha said that a letter requesting a discussion on the matter was sent to the Speaker a few days ago, and that the Board is therefore expecting an answer. According to a discussion with the Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration, the Board is hoping to obtain the arrears from the VIPs after the discussion with the Speaker. “Rs. 13 million has to be obtained from the VIPs and Rs. 5,200 million has to be obtained from 2.6 million domestic users,” Pathmanatha said. He also said that the Board is facing a shortage of water meters and pipes at the moment due to the United States Dollar crisis but noted however, that it is expected to provide 150,000 connections this year. “We were able to provide 210,000 connections in 2021, and 150,000 before that. We would be able to recover from this situation and therefore, we hope to increase the connections provided yearly. Most customers keep their bills for at least two months and pay them at once, and this, in turn, adds interest to their account. Therefore, we urge them to pay the bill within 14 days so that they are eligible for a discount.” A large number of consumers, including households, commercial enterprises, government agencies, and schools owe the NWSDB nearly Rs. 7,500 million as of April, 2022. This was revealed during the progress review meeting of the Ministry of Water Supply and Drainage Chaired by the then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the President’s House, Colombo. Pathmanatha said that the Covid-19 pandemic was the main reason for the outstanding bills, noting however that the NWSDB has already commenced disconnecting connections with such arrears. The NWSDB also expects to increase its rates in the future, with Pathmanatha adding that the request to do so had been made back in 2016.