WASA owed $500 million

WASA customers owe the authority some $500 million. The bill is accredited to residential, public sector, standpipe and business customers. As a result WASA’s Business Division has mobilised staff to ensure the monies are collected and Public Utilities Minister Pennelope Beckles has joined in appealing to the public to clear their accounts. The revelation about the amount owed was made earlier this week by Minister Beckles at the commissioning of a pipe-borne water project at Mottley Trace/Ifill Lane, off Pinto Road, Arima. That project will benefit at least 1,000 residents. Beckles told the gathering that the debt owed to WASA needed to be settled to boost financial resources which would facilitate implementation of more projects to deliver pipe-borne water to those under-served areas.

“I call on customers to recognise the importance of paying their bills on time,” she said stressing that there was a very high cost involved in providing a pipe-borne water supply. She encouraged, “you, your neighbour, friends and families to pay your bills.” In her plea, she asked that customers consider what additional services WASA could provide if the money was paid. The minister also called on the national community to play its part in ensuring that the waterways of the country were not polluted and to assist the utility to produce a quality supply of potable water for consumers. The commissioning at Arima was the sixth project in as many days to be commissioned by the minister. The new water flow in Arima has been piped to residents of Mottley Trace and Ifill Lane, off Pinto Road. It is the first time in 25 years residents of the area have a pipe-borne water supply. Beckles commended WASA for its expeditious handling of the project in which 1.2 kilometres of pipeline were laid, with excavated road being repaired within ten days.
  
In his address WASA’s CEO, Errol Grimes, said he had challenged his managers to strive for higher levels of productivity as WASA continued to deliver on its mandate to provide a realiable supply of potable water to the population in the shortest time possible. Chairman Roland Baptiste said that some 50,000 consumers were added to the network last year. He said: “While we are here to take care of current needs, we have to continue developing the infrastructure to take care of all of the projected developments envisaged for the country.” The Arima event was the seventh commissioning in six days. Beckles pressed WASA to hasten delivery of services to various rural communities. Between December 17 and 22, Beckles has formally launched pipe-borne water supply projects that benefitted some 3,800 residents in areas located in Chaguanas, Rio Claro, Fyzabad, La Brea, Siparia, and now Arima.