An easy instalment plan that allows people to pay their electricity and water bills over a period of up to eight years has been unveiled by Bahrain’s Minister of State for Electricity and Water Affairs.

Dr Abdulhussain Mirza told MPs yesterday (May 13) that the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) did not want to cut power to people who did not pay their bills, but was being forced to do so, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

"I want parliament to give me a solution - we introduced a four-year system and then doubled the payment years to eight, yet we are still finding difficulty getting payments," said Dr Mirza.

"The only way is to cut the power to force payment, and we can't offer services for free because we have financial obligations that we have to cover."

He said last year the EWA was owed BD147 million ($387 million), which dropped to around BD130 million last month.

"We have no exceptions or exemptions and I am not aware that anyone has seen his or her bill cancelled," Dr Mirza added. – TradeArabia News Service