$48M OWED TO WSC AS IT TURNS OFF TAPS: Disconnections of delinquent accounts resume

As of Tuesday, August 16, 2022

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Water & Sewerage Corporation has seen a $2m reduction in customer arrears since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with monies owed to the company now said to be around $48m.

In March, WSC officials revealed about $50m in unpaid bills were still owed to the corporation by delinquent customers.

Officials also said at the time that some 45,625 customers were behind on their payments and that the corporation would resume disconnections on March 28 earlier this year.

Pressed for an update on the latest figures yesterday, acting Chief Financial Officer Patrice Munroe said customer arrears had slightly decreased due to an increase of consumers paying down on their bills.

She also noted that the company continues to work with people who are behind on their payments.

“During the COVID period, we have had a number of customers that were not paying their water bills and since Water and Sewerage was given a mandate, because of the essential need for potable water, not to disconnect (and) that was lifted and so now we can disconnect so we see more customers coming in and making payments on their accounts,” she said.

“Our current receivables is around $48m. It has been reduced since COVID. Customers are paying and we are reaching out to them to encourage them to pay their bills.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company suspended disconnections to help people cope with the global crisis that brought economies, including The Bahamas’ to a screeching halt.

Disconnections have resumed since then, however, it is not clear how many disconnection exercises have been carried out by the company to date.

Yesterday, WSC chairman Sylvanus Petty spoke to the company’s efforts to reduce its $40m debt owed to its major reverse osmosis suppliers since Hurricane Dorian struck in 2019.

“It’s been paid down significantly,” he said when asked for an update yesterday. “I think we are in arrears of only about $13m so we have made great strides in paying our bills.”

He was also asked to address complaints from Abaco residents about the island’s inconsistent water supply, with some locals lamenting interruption of water services as a daily occurrence.

“We have a new (water) system in place right now. We’re just trying to critique the system. We have a million-gallon storage tank right now that’s in use. We have the commissioning on September 1 if I’m not mistaken,” Mr Petty said.

“It’s a new project. It’s a solar farm actually that powered the water system and I think that’s the first in the Bahamas so one of the things that we’re having right now is the system, it’s computerised so we’re having challenges with the computers and getting sufficient power so once that’s all sorted out within the next few days or so, we should have that up and running and so the water challenges in Abaco should be no more.”

bahamianson 2 years, 4 months ago

The story of living in the Bahamas. We can print the same article next year just change the date.....

KapunkleUp 2 years, 4 months ago

Sad but so true.

observer2 2 years, 4 months ago

... because utilities and other necessities are run by politicians the Bahamas will always be a banana republic.

Water is essential to sustain life not something that can be turned on and off by politicians.

If a persons water is cut off how do they flush the toilet, take a bath, clean their house.

LastManStanding 2 years, 4 months ago

You will live like Abaco did for quite a while after Dorian : slop water to flush toilets and bathing out of a bucket or solar bag. Invest into a cistern if you can afford it.

observer2 2 years, 4 months ago

if 45,625 are behind in their payments, how many accounts does W+S have?

I would assume about 200,000 accounts?

So 25% of the ppl are behind?

How much behind, less than 30 days?

Bonefishpete 2 years, 4 months ago

And why no private companies would ever take over the operation.

tribanon 2 years, 4 months ago

Our very corrupt and cruel political ruling elite, whether they be of PLP or FNM persuasion, have greatly enriched themselves since the early 1970's, while leaving the rest of us today:

without reliable and affordable water supply;
without affordable nutritional foods;
without affordable housing;
without reliable and affordable electricity supply;
without affordable gasoline;
without an adequate public education system;
without an adequate public health system;
without affordable medications;
without an adequate and effective police force;
without an adequate and effective defense force;
without an adequate court system;
without a financially viable national insurance system;
without access to our nation's best beaches; and
without too many other things to list here.

In short, most Bahamians today who are not part of the very corrupt, cruel and elitist political ruling class are without the quality standard of living and happier way of life they and/or their parents and grandparents once enjoyed many years ago. And to think our very corrupt, cruel and elitist political ruling class would have us believe it is better in The Bahamas today than it has ever been before when most us feel like we are now living in hell on earth.

The PLP and FNM elites even have the temerity to tell the rest of us unfortunate struggling souls to just shut-up and be thankful for the many abundances they have bestowed on us since the early 1970's. Yes indeed, they expect us to be thankful for the overwhelming abundance of illegal nationals that their corrupt, cruel and incompetent governance has bestowed on our small nation as if they alone sucking the life blood out of their fellow Bahamians was not enough.

The two-party political system we currently have has failed our nation miserably. Change will come as most Bahamians begin to realize they just cannot withstand and take any more punishment. But that change will unfortunately not come about or be achieved in a peaceful way. History is replete with examples of what happens to nations whose people have been beaten into the ground by a very corrupt, cruel, elitist, and incompetent political ruling class.