The National Water Commission (NWC) on Friday reissued an advisory to members of the public that all its employees and contractors working on its behalf are issued with valid photographic identification cards, which are to be shown upon request.

The warning comes amidst what the utility company describes as recent unconfirmed reports alleging that unscrupulous parties have been visiting properties and falsely claiming to be installing water-saving devices such as shower heads or aerators as a courtesy on behalf of NWC.

“The NWC has no such programme,” the company warned in a statement on the weekend.

“Additionally, while the NWC does have representatives who are legally empowered to enter customers’ premises –— including meter readers, meter inspectors, leak detectors, census mapping representatives, etc — all NWC employees and contractors have photographic identification cards and do not usually need to go inside customers’ houses, only into their yards where the meters are usually located,” the company explained.

NWC said it is currently conducting a customer census mapping project in Portmore, St Catherine, and an active leak detection exercise in Kingston and St Andrew as part of its continuous service improvement effort.

It explained that the census mapping involves a door-to-door survey of existing and potential NWC customers as well as global positioning system mapping, and will be carried out between 6:30 am and 7:30 pm daily.

“The project will ultimately result in better water and wastewater service delivery, improved responsiveness to complaints, and better customer service,” NWC said.

The utility provider, while encouraging customers to cooperate with its representatives, also urged caution. To that end, it advises that customers can seek clarification from its Community Relations Department (Eastern) at 733-5636-7, or the Corporate Public Relations Department at 929-1128, 929-5430-5, or pr@nwc.com.jm.

“Suspicious approach by anyone claiming to represent the NWC may also be reported to the nearest police station, 119, or the NWC’s Security Department at 929-5430-5 or 920-1503,” the company said.