ST JAMES, Jamaica—Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has revealed that the National Water Commission (NWC) has collected approximately $473 million and written off $1.18 billion under the amnesty programme that began at the start of the year.

Holness made the announcement on Thursday afternoon during the commissioning of new water tanks and pipelines at Rhyne Park in St James. He stated that more than 33,000 NWC customers have so far engaged with the amnesty initiative.

“So 33,000 persons made enquiries, checks, called NWC, trying to find out about whether or not they qualify and how to go about receiving the benefit. Six thousand eight hundred and seventy-six reconnections have been completed, and another 8,535 are in progress, meaning that they have passed the enquiry stage, and they are now in the process of being connected,” Holness said.

He emphasised the significance of the programme, noting that it is a strategic effort by the government to support citizens without compromising the country’s fiscal responsibility.

“This is not a promise, this is the reality. Government looks at its books, it sees what it can do without impacting our fiscal responsibility, which would mean if we did that, more tax on you. What it does now is that we are able to bring more people on to the system who were locked off because they owed money. And this is a great thing to do,” he added.

First announced by the prime minister in November 2023, the amnesty was officially launched on January 2, 2024. It targets NWC customers who are pensioners disconnected for at least two years, individuals seeking to transfer land titles, and those who have been disconnected for more than six months.

-Horace Hines