(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Payment is made by releasing water from dams in Mexico. The U.S. It was found below the ground surface, which is why she hadn’t been aware of it.”. Getting a water meter, getting on a special payment scheme if there is one, and using less water can all help. For more about getting help with water bills see Help with water bills. Farmers in Chihuahua say they need the water for local crops, and the state government said it had reached an agreement to halt water releases from the dam until talks could be held Tuesday. The public protector has directed the City of Tshwane to consider writing off the debt of a Pretoria resident who racked up a water bill of more than R250,000 due to an undetected underground leak. Van Schalkwyk had signed an acknowledgment of debt after being threatened with electricity and water disconnections. However, it is still important to make an arrangement to pay what you owe so the debt doesn't get any bigger. López Obrador has advocated paying the debt, noting that Mexico receives four times more water under the treaty from the Colorado River than it contributes in the Rio Grande area. “Imagine that, for failing to comply, they close the border on us,” the president said. Saving money on water bills. Payment is made by releasing water from dams in Mexico. Van Schalkwyk’s adviser, Joubert van Wyk, said his client was desperate to know how the municipality would respond to the public protector's instruction. Mexico has fallen badly behind in payments from previous years and now has to quickly catch up on water transfers. Your water supply cannot be cut off for owing money to your supplier. Visual investigations: How a ranger tracked the alleged Table Mountain 'killing ... Brendin Horner's death: What we know so far. There may be things you can do to cut down on water bills in the future. In her submissions to the public protector, Van Schalkwyk said that if she had received accurate bills she would quickly have realised there was a leak. A line of military police and National Guard trucks could be seen at the dam. Lopez Obrador said Thursday, July 30, 2020, that he is creating a central national purchasing and distribution agency for medicines, vaccines and medical equipment amid persistent shortages during the pandemic and the arrest of a doctor who advised a patient's family to buy their own medications. City leaders from coast to coast are reviewing the equity and fairness of their parking ticket charges, court filing costs, library fines, and traffic violations. The issue has resulted in clashes before. You may be able to get help with your arrears from a water trust fund. López Obrador has advocated paying the debt, noting that Mexico receives four times more water under the treaty from the Colorado River than it contributes in the Rio Grande area. In March, protesters burned pickup trucks, blocked roads and demonstrated at the La Boquilla dam, also in Chihuahua. More clashes in Mexico over repaying U.S. water debt July 19, 2020 GMT Video posted by congressman Mario Mata Carrasco showed tear gas canisters being fired over the heads of protesters at the Las Virgines dam in in the northern border state of Chihuahua. Water companies accept a variety of payment methods. FILE - In this April 3, 2020 file photo, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador waves to supporters at the end of a visit to a Social Security Institute hospital that will be converted to receive patients infected with the new coronavirus, in the Coyoacan borough of Mexico City. MEXICO CITY (AP) — As Mexico struggles to pay a water debt to the United States, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Thursday he might personally appeal to President Donald Trump for clemency, or invite United Nations experts to audit water payments. Mkhwebane directed the city manager to send a written apology to Van Schalkwyk and to prepare a report about writing off her debt for consideration by the council. Earlier this year, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said there was enough water both for local farmers and payments to the United States. In the past, Mexico has delayed payments, hoping that periodic tropical storms from the Gulf would create occasional windfalls of water. “I am asking people to help us and trust us,” López Obrador said. A danger lies also in the series of angry protests the issue has sparked. The issue is a difficult one for López Obrador, who said he fears the U.S. government could impose tariffs on Mexican products or close borders in retaliation. The water company will claim for any unpaid charges and costs incurred in recovering the debt. Would you like to comment on this article or view other readers' comments? In late July, demonstrators in Chihuahua burned several government vehicles, blocked railway tracks and set afire a government office and highway tollbooths to protest the release of water from local dams to pay the U.S. López Obrador has said the protests are being fanned by opposition politicians for their own motives. Register (it’s quick and free) or sign in now. Public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane's investigation report said: “She was provided with estimated readings instead of actual readings.”. “On whether the accounting is bad and whether we are in agreement with the U.N. verifying whether things are being done correctly, of course we are willing to accept that, but we do not want these to be dilatory practices, legal maneuvers that would delay us fulfilling our commitement,” López Obrador said. Video posted by congressman Mario Mata Carrasco showed tear gas canisters being fired over the heads of protesters at the Las Virgines dam in in the northern border state of Chihuahua. Mexico has fallen behind in the amount of water it must send north from its dams under a 1944 treaty, and time is running out to make up the shortfall by the Oct. 24 deadline. He claims Mexico has enough water in dams to supply local farmers and repay the debt, which built up over a number of years. © 2020 Arena Holdings (Pty) Ltd. All rights reserved. Please read our Comment Policy before commenting. Mexico receives more water than it gives to the U.S. under the treaty, which governs the flow of border and cross-border rivers including the Colorado to the west. The seven months it took to produce an accurate bill prevented Van Schalkwyk from establishing she had a leak on her property. Special schemes. Gerda van Schalkwyk hopes her R130,000 water debt will be written off by the City of Tshwane. There is still a lot of the amount outstanding,” he said. Gerda van Schalkwyk approached the public protector in December 2018, alleging that the city council unduly delayed sending her an accurate bill, as a result of which she suffered improper prejudice. “We do not want an international conflict,” the president said. Given that conspiracy theories have sprung up in Chihuahua that the United States may have overstated it water payments, or paid with infrastructure improvements instead of water, López Obrador said he would be open to a review by outside experts. Flush away woman's R130,000 water leak debt, public protector tells Tshwane. “If there is a problem of a lack of water, I will go to Chihuahua immediately and speak to the U.S. president and seek, as I have done in other cases, understanding of our situation.”. The public protector has directed the City of Tshwane to consider writing off the debt of a Pretoria resident who racked up a water bill of more than R250,000 due to an undetected underground leak. Under the 1944 treaty, Mexico owes the United States almost 345,600 acre-feet (426 million cubic meters) this year that must be paid by Oct. 24. But Mexico’s National Water Commission said there was enough water for local crops like tree nuts, watermelons, chile, onions and alfalfa, and that the releases were ongoing. “Her bill for the 92-day period from July 2 to October 2 2015 was a whopping R167,900.81.