GUYANA WATER INC. REVENUE COLLECTION WOES BITING DEEP CUSTOMERS STILL OWE GWI 3.6 BILLION DOLLARS

The Guyana Water Inc. wants errant customers to honor their obligations to the company. Outstanding revenue of 3.6 Billion Dollars having a damaging effect on the performance of the company…..Javone Vickerie reports.

An inefficient billing system, illegal connections, wastage of water and
procurement constraints were among the challenges last year for the Guyana Water Inc. With a plan to tackle these and other issues in 2019, it seems that revenue collection remains a major problem.

Managing Director of the Guyana Water Inc. Dr. Richard Van-West Charles
explained that despite a massive disconnection campaign aimed at forcing the hands of errant customers, hundreds of millions of dollars in outstanding bills plague the water company.

In 2018, the company undertook several initiatives, one being an amnesty drive aimed at giving errant customers the chance to settle outstanding arrears amounting to more than $100,000. At the start of 2018, customers owed GWI $5.2B in arrears. At the start of 2019, $3.6B is still owed.

The Managing Director added that in most cases, customers who receive bills for small amounts usually ignore payment until a large amount is accumulated.

The water company recorded a 10% increase of revenue compared with 2017 In 2018, the company received in excess of $4 billion in revenue. The
company also reported that 70% of registered customers receive 24hrs
water service.
According to the Director, there has also been a decrease in the number of reports to GWI regarding water wastage. This is due to the more than forty
thousand meters installed countrywide.