An elderly Christ Church man has complained that he is not getting any “proper” answers from the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) after receiving a bill for $12,000.
Sixty-nine-year-old Elston Sealy of Wilcox Hill said he has been trying unsuccessfully to get the BWA to explain to his satisfaction why his water bill was so high.
“I been in [to the BWA office] and they said maybe there is a leak. I got my son to get a recognised plumber to come and he said there is no leak here. They come and check the meter and said there is nothing,” said Sealy, who lives in a small house on the western end of the Grantley Adams International Airport runway.
“If I showed you the bills from 2017 how it jumped from $27 one time, then another time it came in for $1,000…. This is ridiculous. No one, no one wants to give no answers and tell you what is what. This was going on since 2017…. The water was disconnected. It only came back on because of the COVID. And when the COVID turned it on, it had owed $11,000. I have all the receipts in there,” the disgruntled Christ Church resident declared while displaying the latest bill for $12,000.
“How could I owe $12,000 in water? You know wuh is $12,000? It would take probably a lifetime for you to use that amount of water; and if you see the amount that does come in per month…$1,000, $600; $800… and they tell me a leak. I live in a little chattel house here. I don’t even bathe regularly. I don’t know how the water get to $12,000. Nobody can say anything; anything at all,” Sealy bemoaned.
And with a general election around the corner the visibly upset Christ Church East constituent who also complained of not having received a pension as yet, added: “I ain’t voting this time. It is useless. It doesn’t make sense voting. Poor people here are suffering, especially the old ones like myself. I haven’t seen him [Member of Parliament Wilfred Abrahams] yet come around to say nothing. I ain’t voting this time.”
He told Barbados TODAY he has no time for politicians or the government right now, only for them to tell him why his water bill was so high and why at age 69, he is not getting a pension.
When contacted, Marketing Officer for the BWA Yvette Harris-Griffith said she could not discuss th customer’s private and personal information with the media but said they would look into the matter.
Harris -Griffith added that the BWA is aware some persons may have difficulty meeting their financial commitments and, therefore, those who have arrears or a balance on their account should reach out to the Authority.
“The BWA does permit customers to settle outstanding balances via a payment plan. These arrangements can be made during an in-person visit with our payment agreement team or via written correspondence,” she said. (EJ)
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