Samuda: Become informers against water thieves
Published:Friday | June 24, 2022 | 12:13 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Matthew Samuda, minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, is urging Jamaicans to speak out against anyone who makes an illegal connection to National Water Commission (NWC) pipelines.
He issued the plea while addressing Thursday’s official commissioning of the NWC’s Baron Hill to Samuel Prospect Pipeline Replacement Project at the Brampton Primary School in Brampton, Trelawny.
“Ageing infrastructure is one issue as that is one issue that requires a financial solution, but theft is one issue that should not require a solution because it should not be happening. We are going to have to ask the residents to hold their neighbours accountable as we literally cannot continue to supply those who steal the commodity,” Samuda said.
“It is unfair to those who pay their water bills every month, and I encourage residents to quietly and discreetly be ‘informers’ and inform the police, and they will pass it on to us. This administration cannot stress enough that the water is a precious commodity and plays a vital role in everyday activities,” Samuda added. “Do not allow anyone to steal the water because it damages the network and sets us back.”
His call was supported by Herman Fagan, the NWC’s regional manager for St James and Trelawny, who noted that the utility company loses as much as 40 per cent of potential revenue to theft.
“The extent of loss for us as an entity is enormous because a system of this nature is designed to accommodate a particular number of customers, so when people tap on illegally, it means that paying customers are unable to get water,” said Fagan, urging those making illegal connections to get in touch with the NWC to establish legitimate lines.
Last July, the NWC raised concerns about the impact of illegally restored water supplies that were previously disconnected, with illegal connections accounting for approximately $4 billion in losses to the company.
Concerning the Baron Hill to Samuel Prospect pipeline in Trelawny specifically, the NWC reported that illegal connections, along with the ageing cast-iron pipes and numerous leaks along the system, contributed to non-revenue water losses of approximately 76 per cent.
The newly commissioned pipeline, which was constructed between April 2021 and June this year at a cost of $275 million, will supply water to more than 11,500 residents in the communities of Baron Hill, Samuel Prospect, Rio Bueno, Jackson Town, and Barnstaple.