Delinquent customers of the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) have until the end of next month to settle their debts or face disconnection.
According to a news release on Monday, the BWA indicated it was taking a direct approach to recover outstanding arrears.
Customers with overdue bill balances have been advised to visit the authority’s headquarters in the Pine, starting Thursday and until October 31, “to make restitution and pay outstanding monies owed on their water accounts”.
“Following this period of amnesty, the BWA will have no choice but to recommence the disconnection of the water services of customers whose accounts are still in arrears, once no effort has been made to engage the Authority to settle the debt,” general manager Keithroy Halliday said in the news release.
The news release stated that the BWA had reached this decision after the Authority gave the public the responsibility of honouring all debts without repercussions for the past 30 months.
That decision resulted in the BWA’s receivables rising to about $26 million, which it described as “unsustainable”, adding it “has had a negative impact on our operations”.