Minskers used same quantity of water in October as before, but paid more

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Limitations for water use have been introduced in Belarus since last month - 140 liters a day. Each extra liter should be paid on the cost recovery basis.

Such tariffs cover only 4,2 cubic meters of water a month per person. We pay 890 roubles for one cubic meter, and if we calculate the cost recovery basis it will make 2 546 roubles.

Minsk water services company: "Yes, people paid more this month. Someone paid under increased tariffs. We planned this initially in Minsk, did some preliminary calculations. Water consumption was less in average in Belarus, while in Minsk it was about 5,2 cubic meters per person. So, we planned that there would be more people who would pay for excess water consumption in Minsk".

However, Minskers used the same quantity of water as before, Minsk water services company claims. The people have not yet realized what happened and they come to housing and maintenance services stations to complain.

Housing and maintenance services station No. 20, Minsk: "Many people come to find out why there is another line in their receipts, which states that they need to overpay. Mostly pensioners come. Naturally, prices grew and salaries did not. People don't have enough money".

Not only pensioners complain about increased prices for water. Euroradio's listener Dzyanis is supposed to pay the rent of Br 135 thousand for a one-room apartment (!).

Dzyanis: "The receipt showed unexpectedly big sums, I am going to figure out what's happening. As when they ask 170 thousand roubles for a 4-rooms apartment, then 135 thousand for a 1-room apartment is a sort of too much".

Payment for central heating has made the majority of the sum, says Dzyanis. And this is for just two weeks. Nothing is clear with water as well…

Dzyanis: "They've calculated it twice".

Euroradio: "Maybe this is because of the 140-liters limit?"

Dzyanis: "It's impossible, I don't use 140 liters! I don't do anything special, like washing elephants".

Another Euroradio's listener, Victar, paid 30 thousand roubles more for water in October! "I paid for the water which I did not use", says Victar.

Victar: "They calculated 26 cubic meters for the three of us, 13 - under the ordinary tariff, and 13 - on cost recovery basis, as they call it. It turned out we have to pay 30 thousand more! This is a serious sum. This means that we allegedly used twice more water than before, in accordance with these norms".

Victar did not use so much water, he simply failed to provide the numbers for this month and the communal services workers calculated the new sum basing on the bigger numbers, which he informed the month before.

Victar: "When I checked my water-counter I realized I overpaid a lot. They would probably return this money to me next month, but I have already paid for that. Moreover, I'm afraid that they will return money under normal tariff, not the cost recovery basis".

Representatives of the accounting department of one of the housing and maintenance services station in Minsk assure that they will return the whole sum.

Housing and maintenance services station: "We'll calculate it once again, and return everything that we have taken".

They might introduce normatives for electricity or gas in the near future... Euroradio is watching the topic.