BWA pleads with customers to cover arrears

Defaulting customers of the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) are being warned that the grace extended over the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic is soon running out as the state-owned monopoly’s outstanding payments reach $100 million.

Acting General Manager, Christopher Mapp, on Thursday revealed that in some cases, commercial clients, including COVID-19 approved quarantine and isolation hotels were abusing the company’s goodwill.

He revealed that whilst the threat of disconnection is not particularly imminent, it would be in the best interest of all defaulting customers to at least visit the authority’s Pine St Michael offices and set up a payment plan.

“Last year at the onset of the COVID pandemic, we stopped doing disconnections to all customers because it was very important during the pandemic to ensure that all customers had a steady supply of potable water,” Mapp told Barbados TODAY.

Consistent with this promise, the BWA reconnected more than 600 customers as joblessness gripped the country and businesses closed their doors between March to June last year.

Now, the authority says the number of outstanding balances have increased significantly over the last 20 months.

“We are still not doing disconnections, but what we are trying to impress on our customers is that they still need to pay that water bill. If they are unable to service that bill, they should come into the Barbados Water Authority to enter a new payment agreement so that they can pay over a period of time. Disconnections are something that we are still not doing at this time, though obviously, we will restart at some point,” the acting General Manager warned.

“So we would certainly like that customers settle their bills so that when it comes to that time, they will be in good standing,” Mapp added.

He explained that not all of the outstanding $100 million is overdue, as it included people who owe money over the last 30-day collection period as well as long-standing defaulters.

“Barbadians generally pay their bills. I think that is what we know and what we find, but there will always be a subset who, because they know that we can’t go out there and disconnect, would take advantage of the opportunity. Some people take it a little too far,” Mapp contended.

“On the commercial side, we even find that there are some hotels that are being used as COVID facilities, so we know that they are using water, we know they are getting money, but they are still not servicing the bills. So we are targeting everyone, but we are certainly targeting the larger, commercial debt right now.”

The high-ranking official declined to place a timeline on the BWA’s grace period, but stressed that revenue collection is high on the organisation’s agenda.
kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb