THOUSANDS of Jamaicans, including pensioners and people with major leaks in the past, can start accessing the latest National Water Commission (NWC) amnesty today.

The amnesty — first announced by Prime Minister Andrew Holness at the Jamaica Labour Party’s annual conference last November — is for NWC customers who are pensioners who have been disconnected for two years, people trying to transfer land titles, and customers who have been disconnected for longer than six months.

Under the amnesty, pensioners who are assessed as being in need, based on the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) beneficiary identification standards, will have their debt written off and reconnection fees waived.

This will allow pensioners to reconnect legally and facilitate the transfer of titles where outstanding bills are a challenge.

In addition, NWC customers disconnected for longer than six months who contact the company and make payment arrangements will have their debt discounted by 50 per cent or further, based on a needs assessment, and will be allowed up to one year to repay.

According to Holness, the amnesty is aimed at giving relief to NWC customers who are suffering the weight of bills from major household leaks in the past.

This amnesty will last for three months and will start today.

“The Government is committed to making Jamaica peaceful, productive, and prosperous. There are several long-term policy measures being implemented that will ensure this virtuous state is achieved; however, in the short term the Government is also focused on making [living in] Jamaica affordable.

“We will look at every aspect of Government to ensure that it is made easier for people to survive and thrive. If there are unnecessary, self-serving red tape, fees, waiting time, complicated requirements that add to the cost of living or the cost of doing business, this Administration will remove these obstacles, simplify complications, reduce costs, and give relief to pain points,” Holness told the Jamaica Observer on Wednesday.

“This is the principle of the caring economy and Government operating behind the NWC relief programmes. In furtherance of this caring agenda, the NWC will begin its 90-day amnesty. This amnesty will see all pensioners, who have debts to the NWC for a period longer than two years resulting in disconnection of service, being reconnected at no cost.

“For all other customers who have been disconnected for a period longer than six months, your Government is prepared to write off 50 per cent of the amount owing. We will go further and allow for a payment plan of 12 months on the balance of the debt,” added Holness.

He pointed out that NWC customers who qualify for this amnesty will have to call toll-free 888-225-5692 and make an appointment to get reconnected.

In the meantime, minister with responsibility for water Matthew Samuda on Wednesday told the Observer that some 150,000 Jamaicans will benefit from the amnesty.

“It will cost the NWC about $34 billion in potential revenue, but that is not an issue as the Government tries to improve the lives of Jamaicans who might have had an issue to pay their bills in recent time,” said Samuda.

He said the amnesty is not a knee-jerk reaction and is an expansion of an initiative that was undertaken by the NWC over the last 12 months in Portmore, St Catherine, in some of the quadrants in which there were particularly high levels of non-revenue water (NRW).

“We went in, and we’ve done our NRW work, but we still saw significant household usage and significant theft in some areas. We have seen where we are able to bring back thousands of customers [who] were disconnected through individual discussions. What this represents to the NWC is a national wholesale effort at having the conversation with Jamaicans that you can come in, we do care. We do think it critically important for you to be connected to the National Water Commission system formally, and we will offer relief,” Samuda said.

“This has represented an albatross around the necks of Jamaicans, and it is this Government that is seeking to reduce and, ultimately, remove this sum from them. It has forced many persons to resort to either buying expensive trucked water, using rainwater harvesting where it was not necessary and, unfortunately, in many cases, bypassing water meters illegally,” he added.

Samuda said the initiative will return individual and legal connections to tens of thousands of Jamaicans and will return comfort and dignity to pensioners and those living below the poverty line who have been affected by this debt and disconnected from the NWC.

“It will reduce the need for purchase of expensive trucked water to those affected, thereby reducing the cost of living to those who are affected, who access water from trucking sources. As I had mentioned, it has been proven in our limited pilot project in Portmore that where amnesty and consideration and concern are offered, we are able to bring back thousands of customers and get them back into paying and getting access. So this benefits the NWC, and it benefits citizens,” said Samuda.

He pointed out that the initiative is in line with the national ambition for potable water access and the stated national imperative to reduce the cost of living.

“To ensure this amnesty does not overrun the normal operations of the NWC, a help desk and special line will be put in place. We will also make temporary capacity increases in staffing where necessary. Further, we will work closely with the Ministry of Labour, the Registrar General’s Department and the National Land Agency to ensure that those who qualify are verified. This amnesty offers benefit, by our initial estimates, to over 155,000 customers, all with families,” Samuda said.

“We expect that number to increase and, when that number is finalised, we will confirm same through the media,” Samuda added.