DUBAI - Residents have accused Dubai's state-owned utility of hiking water and electricity charges without any explanation after their bills surprisingly went up drastically, UAE daily the National reported on Sunday.
"We can't afford this and will simply have to leave Dubai if this continues," Kellie Whitehead, a resident of Arabian Ranches, was quoted as saying, adding that the September utility bill increased to 5,000 dirhams ($1,362) from 2,500 dirhams in August.
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) contends people have been confused by a new billing format and "there is no increase in tariff charges", the newspaper reported.
Angry residents are taking their fight over the internet, forming a group called "My Dewa bill increased in September 09 by a crazy amount for no reason!" on social networking site Facebook, the National reported.
Utility payments form a significant portion of monthly expenses for expatriates in the UAE, which subsidises water and electricity for its citizens.
Residents in the emirate of Sharjah recently protested that state-run utility Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority doubled power tariff rates for businesses and hiked them by 50 percent for homes in September to match rising output costs.