Adrian Gibson Water & Sewerage Chair Condemned

From The Leader of the Progressive Liberal Party:

15 October 2020

The Cabinet of The Bahamas made a policy decision to suspend water disconnection exercises by the Water and Sewerage Corporation (WSC) in the wake of the COVID-19 so the request by the executive chairman of WSC to recommence disconnection exercises has to be seen as a moot point.

The country is in the middle of the worst phase of the COVID-19 pandemic to date where infections are on the increase and water disconnections at this critical juncture would make it more difficult for thousands of Bahamians to sanitize their hands, bodies and surfaces, potentially worsening the community spread of the virus. Additionally, a Cabinet approval would contradict the initial policy intent of the government that the Competent Authority said was driven by science and send a wrong and confusing message to the general public.

Further, how could the government justify disconnecting delinquent WSC customers who owe some $9 million when the corporation’s single largest customer, the Bahamas government, owes WSC almost $80 million in unpaid water bills. A Cabinet approval would appear duplicitous and hypocritical on the face of it. The cash shortfalls the corporation’s chairman is complaining about are common in many households under these very challenging economic conditions.

I hope that with all of the crowing from the rafters by this government over their oversubscribed $600 million international bond placement, the government should lead by example and seek to immediately settle this enormous debt with WSC.

End