The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Water & Sewerage Corporation is owed about $50m with 45,625 customers behind on their payments.

The corporation said the money it is owed increased from $38m in January 2020.

The corporation announced on Friday disconnections will resume on March 28.

Visna Armbrister, the public relations manager of WSC, told The Tribune yesterday: “The gist of it pretty much is that we haven’t disconnected in two years and our receivables, you know, we need revenue, we need to be able to pay, we’re a business.”

Despite the disconnection pledge, WSC will work with customers to create a payment plan.

“That’s going to be based on what their current balance is and we will work with them to work out a plan that they’re able to maintain,” Ms Armbrister said.

“We try to make it as palatable as possible for customers, but, of course, as you can imagine some of the accounts are pretty high because people have not been paying at all.”

WSC has been aiming to restart disconnections for some time. Last November, the company said disconnections, which were suspended in 2020 to help people cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, would resume on November 15, 2021.

However, Minister of Works and Utilities Alfred Sears later said WSC did not inform him before sending out that notice and he had not been able to take the matter to Cabinet. WSC chairman Sylvanus Petty later said there would be no widespread disconnection of water supply to customers behind on their bills.

The WSC said in a statement yesterday: “The corporation wishes to advise our valued customers that our first and foremost objective is to provide a consistent, high quality potable water supply to all of our customers across our beautiful archipelago. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the corporation has maintained our water supply and we have continuously worked with many of our customers to put in place payment plans to allow them to pay their bills as their means allow noting the financial impact many experienced during the peak of the pandemic.”

“The disconnection of customer’s water and sewerage services remains the absolute last option for the corporation and we welcome customs who are experiencing financial difficulties to visit our offices in both New Providence and the Family Islands to arrange payment plans. We are particularly cognisant of the more vulnerable members of our community and the corporation will seek to work with all of our customers to achieve win-win solutions for us both.”