NWC to write off estimated water bills for customers without supply after Hurricane Melissa

The National Water Commission (NWC) says it will write off estimated water charges for customers who have not been served with a water supply since the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

The Category Five storm hit Jamaica on October 28 last year.

The announcement by the NWC comes amid growing public concern that some households in affected parishes are still being billed despite not receiving water.

The utility company, in a media release, indicated that several parishes, including Westmoreland, Hanover, St James, Trelawny and St Elizabeth, have suffered prolonged disruptions due to hurricane damage to electricity, road access, and critical infrastructure required to distribute water.

Noting that many locations could not be reached for routine meter reading, the NWC said it had to issue customers bills based on estimates.

The NWC stressed, however, that customers who received no water during the relevant billing periods are not required to pay estimated charges for that timeframe.

The company further said that once water service is restored, it will adjust accounts accordingly.

“The NWC will undertake a write-off of the estimated charges up to the date of restoration,” the release noted, adding that service charges will also be written off for metered accounts that received no water for one or more billing periods after the hurricane.

Customers are, however, being urged to settle charges incurred before the storm.

“This includes all charges based on actual consumption recorded up to and including the month of October, before the impact of the storm,” the NWC said.

Speaking with The Gleaner, Corporate Public Relations Manager at the NWC, Delano Williams, explained that restoring water supply has been a complex and uneven process, largely dependent on electricity restoration, access challenges, and damage to distribution networks.

“To install generators, I think at about 50 of them… some of the treatment plants are very remote, access is going to be a challenge even while we're waiting for JPS, because they too have challenges getting to the site,” Williams said.

“So where we have access, we've put in about 53 currently.”

Williams said the demand for generators islandwide has also slowed recovery efforts.

“We are in the process of sourcing additional ones because you will imagine that the supply on the island is also impacted, meaning other companies apart from the NWC are also having to rent generators for their operations.”

He noted that despite limitations, generator use has allowed water to reach a significant number of customers.

“The coverage we have now, I think, is about 200,000 customers who were being served up to a week ago by generators. And that's the extent.”

Williams emphasised that restoration is not as simple as it may seem.

“The general pace of restoration is not going to be like flipping a switch. You're going to have cases where the pump is running and some sections have water, while some don't.”

He explained that access issues following the hurricane have also affected meter reading, leading to estimated bills.

“When we don't read it, again because of access issues—meaning trees, fallen poles, road problems, or just resource challenges—some areas just won't be read,” Williams said.

“So the customer would get a bill, and then we follow up, confirm no water, confirm when the water comes back, and do the adjustment from there.”

Addressing concerns specific to Westmoreland, Williams said the Roaring River Treatment Plant has been operating since the storm, but at reduced capacity.

“Roaring River has been running since the storm, but it's on gravity, meaning there is no power there, so we are not necessarily at full capacity.”

He added that communities dependent on electricity to pump water from Roaring River have been particularly affected.

“I don't think they get water as reliably because of the fact that there was no electricity until very recently in that space.”

Williams also said the Bulstrode system, which serves sections of Grange Hill, Frome, Little London and Bay Road in Westmoreland, had been operating on generator power.

“That system was also on generator, which means you don't get 100 per cent, because even if you have a generator that is as powerful as normal electricity, you still have to shut it down to refuel and rest it.”

He confirmed that electricity was restored to Bulstrode earlier this week.

“I think about Tuesday or Wednesday of this week,” he said, noting that the system is now expected to return to full capacity.

While acknowledging the financial strain on customers, the NWC said it will be rolling out additional relief measures.

“Being mindful of the tremendous impact the storm has had on some customers’ ability to pay, the NWC will be rolling out a set of initiatives to provide financial relief,” the release further stated.

At the same time, customers are being encouraged to resume regular payments once service normalises, as these funds support the continued operation, maintenance, and recovery of the water supply system.

The NWC said further updates will be provided as restoration efforts continue.

- Mickalia Kington

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