ALMOST 400 Jamaicans applied for the new National Water Commission (NWC) amnesty programme on launch day, which was Thursday, January 2.

According to NWC’s Acting Corporate Public Relations Manager Delano Williams, a total of 372 people had applied by the end of the first day of the initiative, which he said is part of a raft of measures to provide well-needed relief for customers.

Williams, who provided the Jamaica Observer with an update on Friday, said the initiative is geared at customers “who may be facing hardships, are straddled with old balances, and are also willing to reconnect and access the NWC services as part of a fresh start”.

The amnesty — first announced by Prime Minister Andrew Holness at the Jamaica Labour Party’s annual conference in November last year — is for NWC customers who are pensioners and 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, which will last for three months, up to March 31, 2025 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.

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.

Williams said the two components of the amnesty entail an offer of a 50 per cent discount to residential customers with accounts disconnected for six months or more; and an offer to write off balances older than two years for pensioners and PATH beneficiaries.

“There are also offerings for other customers who may be outside of these main groupings but also have challenges with their bill balances. All persons are being encouraged to contact the NWC via its online channels, contact centre, or simply to visit the nearest location that is convenient for them,” he said.

Speaking on the initiative last Wednesday, Holness told the Observer that his Administration is focused on making living in Jamaica affordable, and that it will be looking 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. This is the principle of the caring economy and Government operating behind the NWC relief programmes,” he said.

In the meantime, minister with responsibility for water Matthew Samuda told the Observer last Wednesday 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 but is instead an expansion of an initiative that was undertaken by 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 usage.

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.

NWC customers who qualify for this amnesty may call toll free 888-225-5692 and make an appointment to get reconnected.