W&S Chairman says millions collected since disconnection exercise

W&S Chairman says millions collected since disconnection exercise
Chairman of the Water & Sewerage Corporation, Adrian Gibson.

Chairman of the Water and Sewage Corporation Adrian Gibson said the decision to disconnect hundreds of consumers has allowed the company to pay off $4 million of their $45 million debt.

“In New Providence, between the 4 and 12 of October, we collected slightly under $3 million and on the Family Islands we collected about a million,” said Gibson, who spoke to Eyewitness News outside Parliament on Wednesday.

“That disconnection exercise went to some 3000 plus people in Nassau being disconnected and a lot of them have since came in and paid or have entered into arrangements. Persons are also now coming and paying,” Gibson said, adding that to heighten its collections exercise,  water and sewage outlets will be placed at the Mall at Marathon and the southwest plaza.

Opposition leader Philip Brave Davis recently called the disconnection in water supply ‘cruel and inhumane’. He said the Corporation should make every attempt to work with customers, particularly families with children, to ensure that the water supply stays on.

But Gibson, who responded to Davis, said, “We’re running a business, that’s the reality of this. If you use the service you are required to pay for it regardless of who you are. The reality is we had some 45 million outstanding now some of it is due to bad debt which we are working to clean up our accounts, but quite a bit of it is due to persons simply not paying.”