Dealing with Problems in Paying

When customers are temporarily unable to pay their water bill, Veolia Water endeavours to work with them to find solutions in order to prevent the water supply from being cut off.

In each of the water board offices, a specially trained mediator is appointed to manage the files of those in financial difficulty. In consultation with the contracting authority and the customers in question, he will do all that he can to put in place payment solutions tailored to each individual situation. He is also responsible for encouraging and assisting those customers in financial difficulty to monitor their consumption.

A Moroccan subsidiary of Veolia Water, Redal, has begun a major social connections program for drinking water in Rabat, the Kingdom's capital, as has Amendis in Tangiers and Tetouan. The aim is to provide drinking water to homes or to groups of homes, even if those living there are not able to finance this program due to its cost. The program has been subsidized by the Fonds de Travaux de la gestion déléguée (Fund for Municipal Outsourcing Works), the relevant administrative councils and the contracting authority. In 2006, 5,820 drinking water connections were carried out as well as 1,245 "wastewater" connections.

Veolia Water works with the French Water Solidarity Fund (Fonds Solidarité Eau) (incorporated into the Housing Solidarity Fund - Fonds de Solidarité pour le logement). This provides targeted financial assistance to those who are least able to pay their water bills. 59 agreements have already been signed. In each of the administrative areas that have signed up to the scheme, Veolia Water undertakes not to chase up the money owed to them by some of its customers who are having difficulty paying. In 2006, 16,200 families benefited from this initiative, a total of more than €1.14 million. Via the HSF agreements, Veolia Water also introduced awareness raising initiatives on using water more wisely for those particular families.