WASA grants 92-day amnesty to regularise

The Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) has taken a decision to grant a 92-day amnesty to allow customers/people with illegal water connections to regularise their user status and customer billing. It takes effect from July 1 to September 30. The authority, in a news release yesterday, said people who take advantage of the amnesty will not be subjected to an estimated $3,648 in retroactive charges; legal proceedings/actions and disconnection of service. It said these people will also be given the opportunity to regularise their account status as well as to resolve all outstanding queries.

The amnesty applies to people falling in any of the following categories:
•People with illegal connections, ie people who have an existing water service connection but who are not
registered as customers of the authority
•Customers with unregistered swimming pools, ie customers who have swimming pools but have not indicated the existence of same to the authority
•Customers who are VAT registered, ie customers who conduct a VAT-registered business and are currently classified as a residential customer
•Customers classified as (A2) yard/building tap who now have internal plumbing and have failed to notify the authority

Under the Water and Sewerage Act people with illegal connections, unregistered swimming pools and operators of a VAT-registered business, but who maintain a status as a residential customer, face a one-year retroactive charge; and/or disconnection of their service, the statement said. WASA said those who fail to take advantage of the 92-day amnesty will face disconnection of their service as well as the imposition of penalties and any other legal recourse available to the authority.