Who's in charge of the water pipes that didn't enter the house?

A family of three used more than 200 tons of water for two months, which made Ms. Wu, who lives in a happy time in Nanchang County, very confused. After investigation by the property and water supply company, it is basically determined that there is a problem with a section of water pipe before the outdoor water meter enters the house. When it comes to maintenance, many units have given up on the grounds that this water pipe belongs to Ms. Wu.

The reporter learned that many places in Jiangxi have local regulations that the water pipe behind the desk belongs to the owner and the enterprise is not responsible. In that case, property and developers can completely push the responsibility. Can owners only admit that they are unlucky?

■ Information Daily/Information Daily Client Reporter Shen Guannan/Wen

The water meter is "crazy" and the main valve at home is still turning.

The cause of the incident stems from a "sky-high" water bill. According to the meter reading sheet of Nanchang Water Supply Company in September, Ms. Wu's water meter reading was 1.576 tons. Judging from the last meter reading data in July, it means that in two months, Ms. Wu's water consumption is nearly 200 tons. "This water consumption is too abnormal for a family of three." She turned off the water valve in the house, and the water meter was still out of control.

In this regard, the residential property company and Nanchang County Water Supply Company have investigated this situation. After testing, it is likely that the concealed pipe behind the water meter and in front of the house is leaking. It is reported that the water meter of the building is designed and installed under the manhole cover of outdoor public roads.

According to Ms. Wu's meter reading records, in July of 20021,the household's water consumption doubled than usual. On this basis, the meter reading data in September continued to double. On September 26th, the property judgment of Nanchang County Water Supply Company and Happy Hour Community may be "water leakage behind the table".

Who will bear the "water leakage" loss of water supply enterprises: the owners themselves.

In this regard, the staff of Nanchang County Water Supply Company verified that the data of the water meter was correct. According to the regulations, the water supply company collects water charges from users according to the amount of water measured by the trade settlement water meter.

The reason for the large water consumption in the short term may be that there is water leakage in the pipe network behind the water meter. According to the relevant regulations of Nanchang City, the maintenance and management of water supply facilities in the trade settlement water meter shall be the responsibility of users or property owners. Users are advised to strengthen the management of the pipe network behind the table, repair the leakage as soon as possible and avoid unnecessary losses.

In other words, the water fee caused by "water leakage behind the desk" should be borne by Ms. Wu herself.

Who is in charge of pipeline maintenance? Housing management department: no maintenance fund is used.

In terms of maintenance, Happy Hour Community Property Company said that since this water pipe is Ms. Wu's own, the property has no responsibility for maintenance, and Ms. Wu needs to find a plumber for investigation and maintenance. And because the warranty period has passed, the community developers also refused to take responsibility.

On the one hand, the property department of Nanchang County Housing Management Bureau said that even if the water meter is installed outdoors in public areas, according to the Urban Water Supply Regulations and other regulations, the water pipe from the water meter to the home is privately owned by the owner and does not meet the conditions for extracting maintenance funds.

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"Outdoor installation" of water meters in cities such as Nanchang is becoming more and more common, and disputes about "who pays for water leakage behind the meter" occur frequently.

Ms Wu's experience is not an isolated case. A few days ago, DJI. Com's "Asking about Politics in Jiangxi" platform received a reflection from Ms. Liao, a netizen in Ji 'an. At the beginning of August, the local water supply company found that the water meter in her shop turned abnormally. After investigation, water leakage occurred after the underground water meter existed, and the water leakage was huge, reaching 1.988 tons. The water company asked it to settle all water charges within one week.

The reporter learned that there are generally two situations of "water leakage behind the meter": one is that the water meter has been installed at home, and the water leakage occurs in the user's home. In this case, the relevant expenses should be borne by the user, and it is convenient for the user to detect and maintain.

The other is that the water meter is not in the house and installed in the public area of the community. It is difficult for users to detect the problem, and it is often only after receiving the sky-high water bill that the problem is discovered. At this time, how to define the ownership of power and responsibility and who will pay the bill has become a perennial controversial topic.

An insider in the water supply industry told the reporter that in Nanchang and other cities, with the popularity of "one household, one meter", the second installation method has become the mainstream, especially in newly-built residential areas. Water meters are generally installed in the water pipe wells of the unit, avoiding the inconvenience and interference of meter reading caused by indoor installation of water meters in the past.

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"Water leaks behind the desk", how to divide the rights and responsibilities?

After many interviews and inquiries about past cases, the reporter learned that in the face of this situation, all parties mainly hold the following views.

Viewpoint 1: Water users are fully responsible for paying the bill.

"This situation is generally borne by the owners themselves," said Zhang Lixun, a lawyer of Beijing Yingke (Nanchang) Law Firm. The Regulations on Urban Water Supply Management was adopted by the local people's congress, which is a local regulation and a law in a strict sense. Therefore, there is a legal basis for the water supply company to make this request.

He told reporters that this section of the pipeline from the water meter to the household belongs to the owner in theory, but according to the usual practice, no owner will manage this section, which is generally considered to be the business of the developer. Only when there is water leakage, I suddenly find it belongs to myself. In theory, the owner can claim the responsibility of the developer, but many times the water pipe leakage has passed the warranty period.

"Although this is unfair, there is no legal ambiguity," Zhang said frankly. In addition, if the owner claims that the damage of water pipes is due to public areas, he should also provide corresponding evidence.

Viewpoint 2: The water leakage point is in the public area, and the property has the responsibility of management and protection.

Xiao Wang, a citizen who lives in donghu district, Nanchang, has encountered a similar situation before. He thinks the water leak happened on the water pipe between the water meter and the household. Water pipes pass through public roads and corridors in the community and belong to public areas. On the other hand, the water meter is installed under the manhole cover outside the house, and it is easy to leak when no one finds it.

He pointed out that property management companies have the responsibility and obligation to manage and maintain the public areas of residential areas. After the occurrence of "water leakage behind the table", the property should bear part of the responsibility. If the property management company does a good job in daily pipeline inspection and maintenance and finds problems in time, it will not cause serious water leakage and cause greater losses.

Viewpoint 3: It is impossible for the owner to dig out the concealed pipe for maintenance at any time without entering the house.

Another point of view is that it is too "overlord clause" to count the water pipe from behind the desk to the household as the owner's responsibility.

Ms. Xia, a citizen of Jiujiang, believes that the water supply management regulations in many cities require that the water supply facilities in the water meter be managed and maintained by the users. In fact, the owner obviously cannot manage and maintain this section of water pipe at will. "I can handle the water pipes at home at will, but the one outside the home belongs to the developer, and the several-meter-long concealed pipes are buried underground or in the wall. It is impossible and impossible for the owner to dig them out for inspection or maintenance at any time. "

"I would like to ask, if the owners regularly dig up the walls of residential roads or corridors to fulfill the so-called' management and maintenance' responsibility, can the property be allowed? Who is responsible for the cost and security risks? " She admits that most water meters are installed outdoors now, and it is unreasonable to directly ask users to pay for the loss of "water leakage behind the meter". Although it conforms to local laws and regulations, it does not take into account the reality.

Viewpoint 4: The water supply company has the obligation to inform in time when there is any abnormality in water use.

Some citizens believe that water supply companies have the obligation to inform users in time when water use is abnormal, because this not only involves the loss of users, but also wastes the country's water resources.

It said that just like a user's water consumption is abnormal for several months in a row, the meter reader should remind the user in time to avoid unnecessary losses. "But in fact, the timely notification of water supply companies is very limited. Now many places still use manual meter reading once every two months. Why can't water supply companies increase the frequency of meter reading, or improve technology and use smart metering? "

Many netizens believe that in the case that users bear the loss of water charges, the water company does not bear any responsibility and earns a lot of money, so it is difficult to "force" enterprises to improve themselves.

Viewpoint 5: The regulations have been implemented for 24 years, and it is time to keep pace with the times.

"Take Nanchang as an example. The division of powers and responsibilities before and after the table first appeared in the Regulations on the Administration of Urban Water Supply and Water Use in Nanchang implemented by 1997. However, at that time, the water meters and pipes behind the table were installed in visible positions, and it was easy to find water leakage, which made it reasonable for residents to bear it. Correspondingly, it is also convenient for residents to maintain their own water pipes. Nowadays, with the popularization of outdoor centralized meter installation, should the relevant regulations be updated in time? In other words, it further distinguishes the rights and responsibilities of outdoor water meters to households, "said netizen Mr. Liu.

Reporter's notes

The dispute of "water leakage behind the meter" reflects the management level of urban public utilities.

In recent years, the controversy caused by "water leakage behind the table" has gradually increased. Embarrassed, in the face of the dissatisfaction and doubts of many users, we rarely see the figure of government departments, and often water supply enterprises are both "athletes" and "referees".

But in fact, the user's query is not a cold "according to the regulations" to answer, and "paying out of your own pocket" does not mean that the contradiction is solved. As a basic livelihood, water supply is closely related to people's happiness and also reflects the management level of urban public utilities. Only by facing up to the focus of the contradiction and clarifying the rights and responsibilities can we completely solve the contradiction, so let's start from the "source"!