Dead people meters being used; bills not paid

The government has made a public appeal for persons to pay for the water and sewerage they use even if they are not receiving bills.

In giving reasons for the challenges in collecting payment, the Water and Sewerage Department said, in a number of cases, the names of deceased persons exist on accounts that are being returned from the Post Office. But, according to the department, those water meters with the names of the deceased persons are still being utilised.

“We ask that the occupants or caretakers of the buildings come in to correct the situation,” added the department headed by Perline Scatliffe-Lennard.

It further advised: “Customers who have changed their Post Office boxes from what was originally provided are also asked to come in, call, or email us to provide the correct box numbers, or full correct mailing addresses.”

Meanwhile, in relation to the sewerage accounts, the department said it should be advised if persons are aware that they are connected to the system and not receiving bills.

“Besides the need to contribute to the sustainability of the sewerage infrastructure, there is also need for the connections to be properly mapped in our systems for maintenance and expansion purposes. Additionally, possible failures leading to overflows in the environment which then leads to an unhealthy situation will always exist. The sooner we find contributing sources of contamination in our environment, the healthier we will be. Mapping and knowledge of these connections are critical to our maintenance efforts – maintenance efforts to avoid failures and overflows. We will continue to review our files and advise customers accordingly,” added the Water and Sewerage Department.

It noted that the non-receipt of a bill does not void persons of their responsibility to make monthly payments on their water accounts.

“Bills are expected to be ready from the 8th day of each month. We will continue to strive to meet this target monthly. In the event we expect that we will not meet this target, a notice via this Facebook page, and other media, will be published,” the Water and Sewerage Department said.