THE National Water Commission (NWC), under their new Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) rate review request, intends to heavily subsidise the first 2,000 gallons of water used by customers.

“According to international standards, 2,000 gallons of water is more than enough to supply the needs of the average family for a month,” corporate public relations manager at the NWC, Charles Buchanan, told JIS News.

He added that individuals who use between 2,500 and 7,000 gallons per month will also receive some level of subsidy. However, people who use more than 7,000 gallons of water monthly will be expected to pay the full service cost.

“We want Jamaicans to use water efficiently and not waste water. Studies have shown that the price persons pay for utility influences their consumption patterns,” Buchanan explained.

“More than 30 per cent of our residential customers use up to 2,000 gallons of water per month, and this will be heavily subsidised, and if the rate increase is approved, those customers should only see about a five per cent increase on their bills,” he noted.

He said that the NWC intends to ramp up their water conservation public education efforts to ensure that Jamaicans are aware of the various ways to conserve water.

“We want persons to practise the four ‘Rs’ of water conservation, which are ‘reduce, reuse, repair and replace’,” Buchanan emphasised.

“Reducing water usage, reusing waste water and replacing and repairing leaky faucets can result in more favourable bills,” he added.

Buchanan then urged individuals to be more conscious of their water-consumption habits and put in place appropriate conservation practices.