Electronic water billing coming soon
Consumers will soon have the opportunity to pay their water bills online through electronic billing (eBills).
Premier and Minister of Finance Dr D Orlando Smith made the announcement during his budget address on Monday, January 16.
“Throughout 2017, we will upgrade the water distribution network to ensure that every community and resident have access to the public water supply. We will renegotiate all Water Purchase Agreements to streamline the cost of producing water, and we will ensure that the billing system at the Water and Sewerage Department is modernised to provide eBills,” he said. .
The Ministry of Communication and Works will implement the initiative.
Its Permanent Secretary Anthony McMaster said the new method is expected to be introduced to consumers in the third quarter of this year.
“We hope to introduce electronic billing in the third quarter of this year. It is something that we have been pursuing for quite some time, and we are working with the Department of Information Technology to upgrade the billing system that will allow us to move into eBilling,” he said.
The permanent secretary further stated that eBilling will be of great convenience to consumers in allowing them to pay bills online. It will also reduce the cost to the Water and Sewerage Department.
“eBilling will reduce the cost of printing paper for the Water and Sewerage Department and move to a more environmentally sound procedure,” McMaster said in an interview with the Government Information Service.
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