The Tribune

By Fay Simmons

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

An Abaco MP yesterday said he is working with the Water and Sewerage Corporation (WSC) to alleviate consumer woes caused by back billing and mass disconnections.

John Pinder, also parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, said he is seeking to “mitigate the unwanted headache” caused by the Corporation billing consumers for thousands of dollars over four years’ worth of service dating back to Hurricane Dorian’s immediate aftermath.

While the state-owned utility had waited four years to bill Abaco residents, and some bills have “discrepancies”, Mr Pinder said other customers owed arrears pre-dating Dorian.

Mr Pinder said: “I have been working with the minister in charge, Myles Laroda, as well as the general manager for Water and Sewerage, Mr Deal, and we are working through those issues. It was about four years before any bills were put out there, and some of them do have discrepancies. Some of them have been outstanding previous to Dorian.

“There are a lot of accounting issues that have to take place, but I’ve been working closely with them to try to mitigate the unwanted headache that our Abaconians are facing with the water situation.” Mr Pinder added that Abaco still has many infrastructure issues and, as the Water & Sewerage Corporation fixes them, they will need accounts to be brought up-to-date.

He said “many hundreds” of residents have delinquent accounts, and that he is working with the utility to have them brought current and increase the amount of potable water available in Abaco.

Mr Pinder said: “There are many infrastructure problems still at hand that we’re working on, and as they are fixed, you’ll find that we need these kinds of accounts to come to a good standing balance and, in the same thing, to take into consideration that Abaconians have gone through a lot, through Dorian, through COVID and are just now getting back on their feet.

“I’ve been working with them, and we’ll work through it, and we’ll make sure that we have a steady supply of potable water but also make sure we get some of these accounts up and in good standing. We’re talking about many hundreds of accounts that are delinquent. It’s going to be a process, but I’m working with them.”