NWC Presents Case for Tariff Increase

The National Water Commission’s (NWC) case for seeking a 44 per cent tariff increase was presented to residents of St. Mary, during a public forum sponsored by the Office of Utilities Regulation at the Port Maria Civic Centre on January 17.
The main presenter was the NWC’s Corporate Public Relations Manager, Charles Buchanan.
In arguing the case for the increase, Mr. Buchanan said it would enable the NWC to significantly improve its service and conduct its operation in the best interest of its customers.
Giving an overview of the role of the NWC to provide water for households and communities islandwide, Mr. Buchanan said the organization faces great challenges in providing that service by virtue of the cost involved.
He added that the absence of a tariff that enables full cost recovery has effectively prevented the NWC from having the money or the borrowing power to implement the measures necessary to provide the desired service.
Emphasizing that the new tariff would enable the implementation of much more improvements than those already done and currently taking place, Mr. Buchanan said without that increase, there would be an unavoidable deterioration in the level of service to existing customers, as well as an inability to meet the demands in new areas.
On the status of the NWC’s operation in St. Mary, Mr. Buchanan said several projects were undertaken and successfully completed in the parish as a result of a previous increase.
He pointed out that a number of other projects have been approved for implementation in the parish and are awaiting funding, adding that financing would be possible if the request for a tariff increase is granted.