The Gambia Public Utilities Regulatory Authority PURA has called on water and electricity company Nawec to desist from disconnecting consumers’ water supply through no fault of theirs.
In a statement released yesterday Pura blamed Nawec for not printing bills of consumers in the first place.
The regulators however appealed to consumers to voluntarily go to Nawec for enquiries and to settle bills. The full statement from Pura reads:
“Pura has received several consumer complaints of household water supply disconnections by Nawec. The disconnections supposedly are because of arrears accumulated overtime due to Nawec’s interminable non-issuance of printed bills.
Furthermore, information gathered by the Authority is that the disconnections are made without prior notice to the customers. The Authority deems this practice illegal and unacceptable as the outstanding bills are not consumer default.
The Authority has communicated its objection and has directed Nawec to halt the exercise with immediate effect. Consumers can call PURA on our 148-toll free number and report such issues.
Meanwhile to avoid inconveniences of water supply disruptions, Pura hereby urges consumers to voluntarily visit any Nawec branch or cash offices for enquiries and settlement of their arrears.”
