Saudi Electricity Company employees have refused to read water meters in the Eastern Province after the Ministry of Water and Electricity decided to integrate water and electricity bills. The total number of staff in Al-Ahsa province is more than 100 meter readers. A source at the Ministry of Water an Electricity was quoted by Al-Watan Arabic daily as saying that the contracted staff to read water meters will continue as normal, but that the effective strike by the Saudi Electricity Company's staff would still disrupt business. Large increases in water tariffs have seen some Al-Ahsa residents install additional tanks for water from to avoid using water supplied through the main network, reducing their consumption below 45 cubic meters per month to avoid the new tariffs. "I have not gotten used to watching water tanks traveling into Al-Ahsa's neighborhoods to mobilize water to some homes like the one I have seen during the past two days. Despite the great abundance in water inside the main network, and there is no water crisis maintaining, or malfunctions in the network," said one resident, Ali Ramadan. He explained that the increase in water tankers in the neighborhood was because some homeowners were trying to avoid higher consumption rates and higher water bills due to the new tariff, which includes water and sanitation services. Another resident, Abdullah Al-Qattan, said that buying water from mobile tanks at a cost of SR60 was much more appropriate than paying bills for advanced chips, as the price per cubic meter from tankers was SR5. "Higher water bills pushed many families to be ware of consumption as much as possible, and provide a guide for water tools. In the past, nobody was keen on checking water meter readings because of the low cost compared to the current time with the increase," he said.
