October 21, 2026

“No plan, no increase” – Hayles wants OUR to reject NWC’s 51% tariff request

The Opposition People’s National Party says Jamaicans should not be asked to pay more for water, until the National Water Commission (NWC) demonstrates that it is managing the country’s water resources effectively.

The statement follows an announcement that the NWC applied to the Office of Utility Regulation (OUR) on Friday for a 51 per cent tariff increase.

The application was disclosed by NWC’s Acting President Kevin Kerr at yesterday’s meeting of the Public Accounts Committee.

The Committee was examining the Auditor General’s performance audit of the Commission’s project planning, financial management and operational efficiency.

The audit found that the NWC has no master plans for 17 priority projects valued at $394 billion and lacks a documented framework for ranking capital projects.

A framework is not expected to be in place until March 2028.

The audit also found that the Commission’s payables had more than tripled, rising from $10.6 billion in the 2016/2017 financial year to $33.2 billion in 2025/26.

In addition, the NWC has underspent its capital budgets every year since 2019/2020, while repeatedly falling short of targets to reduce non-revenue water and improve energy efficiency.

Citing the audit findings, Spokesperson on Water Ian Hayles questioned why should Jamaicans pay for what he described as the mismanagement of their water.

Mr. Hayles is calling on the OUR to reject the application and rule out any tariff increase until the Commission submits its outstanding audited financial statements and presents a credible plan to reduce non-revenue water.

He is also urging the publication of a national water master plan, with clear criteria for selecting projects and quarterly progress reports to be tabled in Parliament.

The OUR has received the NWC’s tariff increase request and is conducting its assessment.