On Monday, February 7, 2011, the Water and Sewerage Company, Inc (WASCO) will begin an islandwide disconnection campaign. The programme is intended to regularise accounts that are carrying arrears.
Customer Services Manager, Zilta George-Leslie, said the company would rather not engage in such an activity, but it has become necessary
because the company continues to spend huge sums of money to produce and supply water to the public at nominal rates, but there are a few customers who neglect to pay.
“Some customers have not paid their bills for months and continue to receive a water supply,” she said. “The result is that paying customers are being burdened with supporting the entire water system, while delinquent customers get a free ride. And that, obviously, is not fair.”
The communities that suffered the worst damage to their water systems due to the passage of Hurricane Tomas on October 30, 2011, are being exempted from the disconnection campaign this time around.
“We know Micoud, Canaries, Desruisseaux and a few other areas in the south exercised tremendous patience with us as we got our systems back on line,” Leslie said. “As a result, we want to show good faith and bear patience with them, so our crews have been instructed to bypass those communities when the disconnections are being effected.”
WASCO is encouraging customers who may be owing on their bills to settle the outstanding amounts before the campaign begins. The payment of arrears must be made at the company’s offices on L’Anse Road, Vieux Fort or Soufriere to ensure the accounts are credited immediately.
Payment of arrears at other approved outlets will not guarantee that customers’ accounts will not be disconnected.
WASCO said once a customer’s account has been disconnected, that customer will have to pay all outstanding amounts owed, plus a $100 reconnection fee. Leslie said to avoid the extra charges and the inconvenience of not having their service suspended, customers should settle overdue accounts promptly.
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