The parliament, on Monday, voted in favour of the Water and Sewerage Bill, which mandates the establishment of a Utility Regulatory Authority.
Per the bill, the authority will be tasked with licensing of utility companies as their registrar, as well as the enforcement body to investigate and penalize companies that violate laws related to water and sewerage.
The authority is mandated to formulate a structure to subsidize water and sewerage services in a decentralized manner and to empower local councils, involving councils in assigning rates for services provided by the institution.
The body must also adopt measures to protect an island's freshwater lens, while providing solutions for low-income households to afford utility services.
Further, the authority is required to connect households to the water and sewerage grid, free of charge.
Supported unanimously by the 67 lawmakers that took part in the vote, the move is considered to overlap with the mandate of the Ministry of Environment, in regards to its enforcement abilities.
Deemed a fundamental right under the constitution, if ratified, the decision will lead to the first instance a regulatory legislature regarding the sector was implemented by the country.
However, in 2017, the environment ministry had formulated a National Water Sewerage Policy, which aimed to increase access to water and sanitation services to over 85 percent of the country by 2018.
By the end of 2016, access to water with metered connections across the country stood at 41 percent, while access to sewerage systems stood at 48 percent.
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