Managing Director of the Guyana Waters Inc. (GWI) Dr Richard Van West-Charles, said that the utility company is preparing to engage the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to propose an increase in tariffs. This is being done despite the company reporting a 12 per cent increase in rates collection for 2017.
GWI’s Executive Director for Commercial Services and Customer Relations, Marlon Daniels, told reporters at the Utility Company’s year-end press conference that revenue collection has increased from $3.4B in 2016 to $3.6B in 2017 although the books have not been closed as yet.
He noted that the increase is mainly due to the efforts by the regional officers and the improved customer centric approach by the GWI.
However, GWI’s Managing Director Dr Richard Van West-Charles said that the company is preparing to engage the PUC with hopes of increasing its tariffs.
He did note that the proposed increases would take into account the different groups of Guyanese, highlighting that pensioners would be dealt with separately.
Van West-Charles said that while the most utility companies, across the globe, receive subventions from the government for the maintenance of infrastructure, this is not entirely the case for Guyana.
He explained that the subventions which GWI receives from government is to cover its electricity costs and for projects in the hinterland-but the maintenance of the hinterland infrastructure is at GWI’s expense.
He added that it is against that backdrop that the GWI is seeking to increase its tariffs so as to ensure that the integrity of its infrastructure is maintained.
