10 000 in arrears to BWA

BARBADOS' water users face 10 000 service disconnections monthly for non-payment.

Prime Minister David Thompson made the disclosure recently while castigating consumers for not paying their bills.

Addressing Barbados Water Authority (BWA) staff and management at the company's temporary headquarters, Thompson admitted that the disconnection programme represented a huge challenge for the agency.

This was because BWA workers "must go on site to disconnect".

As for the reasons behind the non-payment, Thompson said some delinquents claim that the other utility companies are more aggressive in terminating service, or that there is no reward for early payment at the BWA.

Non-payment persisted even though for most householders the water bill was the smallest of the utility bills and a survey has shown residential customers agreeing that water is the most important utility, according to Thompson.

The Prime Minister listed the BWA's arrears at $26 million, saying residential customers accounted for about 60 per cent of that figure. (TY)