NWC amnesty extended to persons with disabilities

   

Minister with responsibility for Water, Matthew Samuda, on Wednesday announced that the government has extended the National Water Commission amnesty to persons with disabilities.

 

Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness announced the NWC amnesty last year as part of an initiative to improve the finances of the utility company.

 

More than 30,000 NWC customers are expected to benefit from the government's debt forgiveness on water bills.

 

Under the amnesty, the NWC has been writing off the debts of some pensioners and vulnerable people who have been disconnected for non-payment of their water bill.

 

NWC customers who were disconnected for non-payment are being encouraged to speak with the commission about arranging a repayment plan.

 

Speaking at Wednesday's post-Cabinet press briefing, Mr. Samuda said the Board of the NWC expanded the amnesty to persons with disabilities following intense lobbying by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

 

Minister Samuda also gave an update on the amnesty which started last month, noting that as of Friday February 21, 10,116 appplications were received while 1,674 customers have been fully reconnected, and a further 2,489 are approved for reconnection over the next two weeks. 

 

"There's an additional 3,400 inquiries by citizens who have reached out for details outside of the 10,000 who haven't come in yet or haven't taken advantage of their appointment. What this means is that the Water Commission has written off the debts or the arrears up to $238 million for customers, a debt that was largely uncollectible and that was affecting thousands of households," the minister disclosed. 

 

The government is allocating $10.1 billion to the National Water Commission this fiscal year to improve its infrastructure.