Residents Challenge High Water Bills After Meter System Rollout

As Guinea Grass residents prepare to protest what they call unfair billing and poor management of the new metered water system, village leaders say steps are already being taken to address the concerns. While villagers report unusually high usage and broken promises of a trained water board, the Village Council says it is now working with the Ministry of Rural Transformation to review the meters, check for leaks, and possibly offer temporary billing relief as the issues are sorted out.

 

Benito Uck, Chair, Guinea Grass Village Council

“In October the water board sent a letter note to the community explaining that when the actual meeting will happen. And it didn’t happen on that time that was mentioned. And they extended the grace period up to ending of last year, December, 2025. And they explained the rate because, so that the community is aware, what would be the rate one thousand five hundred  gallon is rate ten dollar after the one thousand five hundred will be one cents after that. Then after the ten thousand gallons is two cents per gallon. Few of them have been called me know, and also supposedly with the board in regards of the amount of gallon they say that the meter is not really good. They have not consumed so much water. Some have fourteen thousand gallons some have twelve thousand gallons and a little more over that.”

 

Britney Gordon

“What is the council doing in order to address these concerns? As of now.”

 

Benito Uck

“Like I mentioned to you, we are working with the Ministry of Rural Transformation to see how, what measures it could take to address the situation by probably checking the meters or giving, the community this like a month of period so that they could only pay their normal flat rate. Meanwhile, we do any changes. So that’s when March comes, you build, then everything’s supposed to be normal. That is the plan. No, it’s just weeping to get the final information from Ministry of Rural Development.”

 

And while Guinea Grass residents are preparing to take their concerns to the streets, village leaders say they’re now working with the Ministry of Rural Transformation to check the meters, investigate possible leaks, and consider temporary billing relief as they try to get the situation under control.