Water rates increased

For the first time in 13 years DOWASCO is increasing the tariffs on its water and sewage services.

The company revealed today that consumers will now pay 15 percent more for water consumption effective May. The move, according to General Manager of DOWASCO Bernard Ettinoffe, is in response to financial problems the company has been facing.

He said after several requests from government dating back to 2006, government decided to grant the increase to the company.

Ettinoffe said consultation will be held in and around Dominica to detail what the increase is.

“It amounts to 15 percent across the board for both domestic and commercial customers. It is not anything exorbitant but the move will assist the company,” he said.

Those paying a flat rate of $42 per month will now pay $48.60 per month for water.

Meantime, customers are also expected to see an increase in their sewage bill.

Ettinoffe said the latest move is only one of the measures DOWASCO is looking at to deal with the financial constraints.

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61 Comments

  1. d.o.m 4 life
    April 8, 2011

    do you all know in anguilla they pay $40 flat rate ec an that place dont even have 1 river they water come in from the sea an they take out 80% of the salt in it now they have a 9o.000 gallon tank to put water in to even make it cheaper for they people an we have to many rivers to be paying jesssssssssssss

  2. CONCERN
    April 8, 2011

    Why should dominicans pay so much for water when there is water all over the place. You have Islands like St. Lucia that that struggling for water paying $25 flat and $14.70 for the first 1000 gallons and every gallon hereafter is $7.35.

    • Anonymous
      December 3, 2012

      Population my boy population…. :-?

  3. dominican to the bone
    April 8, 2011

    what is the problem we have water all over in the street and we have to pay more money for water what about the old people that are not working and there is no more stand pipes they could get free water , what are they going to do

  4. Cassandra
    April 8, 2011

    After being told by Hon. Reginald Austrie, Min. responsible for water resources, that “Dowasco tariff increases are not the answer” as recent as 22 Feb. we are now clobbered with a sudden15% increase. What is up? This is equivalent to levying VAT on water, an indispensable need for survival, except it is not called that. The effect is, however the same! Since Dowasco is a 100% owned Govt. company the reasoning may have been that rather than instituting VAT they’d call it a “tariff increase” and let the proceed s flow into the Dowasco accounts direct thus obviating the need to underpin it with loans or loan guarantees. Clever, byt very cynical! I’d like to know what made Hon. Austrie change his mind between the end of Feb. and now!

    • Pharm
      April 9, 2011

      Honorable my foot ! ! ! These men are just not honorable ! !

  5. not proper conduct
    April 8, 2011

    Not exorbitant? A 15% increase in a country where a 2% or 3% increase in your paycheck is the most you can ever hope to receive.

    We customers who have a meter connected to our water also pay a disproportionate share, the fixed rate users use a lot, a lot more water than we do, yet pay only a fraction of what we pay.

    Dowasco needs a lot of improvement

  6. Anonymous
    April 8, 2011

    Everything is rising, I know that meager 3% government gave as salary increase would soon be consumed in paying of bills, this is so ridiculous. I wonder what next, Why would they allow such a high increase in the water rates? They could justify their reason by saying “just pay VAT on water” stupes, give me a break man!!!!

  7. rio
    April 8, 2011

    I CHECKING DA HAS TOO MANY D$$M RIVERS FOR DOMINICANS TO BE PAYING SO MUCH FOR WATER!!!! CHUPES!!!!!!!!!

  8. huh?
    April 8, 2011

    Who runs this media house na? Bro water rates have not been increased. The increase will come on your next bill.

  9. NEXT LEVEL!!!! LABOUR POWER!!!
    April 8, 2011

    :oops:

  10. Gee
    April 8, 2011

    ********************For too long we’ve been having it EXTRA sweet in DA!!*****************

    We can not keep on wanting and wanting without paying!! This is just the beginning!! Next will be health services; we get it next to nothing and we take it for granted!!

    If we NEED to increase the rates we just need to ……….. that’s all!!

    • rediculous
      April 8, 2011

      we get it next to nothing because our wages are next to nothing! The cost of living is too high and our salaries cant take us to the bank

    • reality
      April 8, 2011

      wicked allyu wicked so na? a land of many rivers where water already too high? one ting when it sweet on your side it easy to say is not a problem but if you cared about your people u would not post dat garbage online. government appoints the board and they select management i think that the whole of them should be dumped. you have a monopoly on water and u having financial problems? these guys need to quit!!!

  11. Bushmaninda
    April 8, 2011

    Mr.Ettinoffe
    How do the new rates compare with other Caribbean countries ,countries like Antigua and Barbados. Does the fact that Dominica has an abundant supply that requires very little preparation afford us better water rates.

  12. a little humor does wonders
    April 8, 2011

    well i remember an ole skool song….’light bill gone up, waterbill gone up, everything gone up up up’ we’ll have 2 get yellow man 2 make a remake of dat song :-D. yes sa but what we can do…but pay dem say la vie cause if we dont ppl crapeau smoke all of us pipe country wide if we dont pay these bills cause they r 2 of the most vital utilities.

  13. worried dominican
    April 8, 2011

    too many stand pipes still exist,let the car washers pay water bills also,we have it but we waste too much of it.

    • hm
      April 8, 2011

      yeah cause the people who do not have meters just keep on using water like it going out of syle and we are the ones paying for it,dowasco needs to put meter for those people so that they can help, and we will not have to pay 15% maybe 10% if they do so.

  14. Laplaine //
    April 8, 2011

    Dominicans, say thank god it could have been worse, i live out of dominica and my water is so much more than that… where there is a will there is a way..

    • rediculous
      April 8, 2011

      and even with the higher pay u can afford but how many domincan here can afford this?

  15. Brain Damage
    April 8, 2011

    Not because of the present world affairs DOWASCO increased the water and sewage rate.
    “After several requests from government dating back 2006, government decided to grant the increase to the company” For them it was long over due. Tie your waist tighter for another addition of $6.60 per month.

  16. Informant
    April 8, 2011

    Well at least we can be thankful that the increase is not too bad. We must be realistic, we should have bee expecting a rise in the cost of water, and with an increase of roughly $6.00, we should not complain too much.

  17. Pal rep
    April 7, 2011

    DOWASCO is a class organization.
    15% increase in 13 years is a much needed fee to keep our pipes flowing. Many of us would agree for a 2% inc annually, spread over 13 years…..well you do the maths = 26%. But they “managed” to keep it at half that.

    DOWASCO should hold/teach monthly management classes to Dumlec. Guess what….Dumlec might be the one running your geothermal plant when it comes on board. I wonder if that’s why the government men are not mentioning who is going to mismanage…sorry….to run the geo plant, and we know Dumlec will RUN YOU BROKE.

    • rediculous
      April 8, 2011

      i would agree but how long does it take for workers to get a 3% interest on their wages?

      • The truth
        April 9, 2011

        you all have no idea what is happening, honestly. wages worldwide decreasing or staying fixed while taxes increase on wages food and utilities. that is the price of the crisis we in right now. thats what we need to understand. i think we lucky in dominica. most people in the first world hold down at least two jobs. we only do a 9-5. then party all weekend. we do not want to work evenings or early mornings and yet we want tourism. we need to change our whole mentality on things. including making sunday a working day. then u have an extra day to make money

  18. polite
    April 7, 2011

    man and you telling me that it is so good in dominica. constant water shortages and yet water rates increase. listen to dbs on a daily basis with the interuption of water and electricity in random areas around the land. yet the rates are increasing. poor my people. these companies have been in business for decades and yet there’s no improvement.

    • Gabo
      April 8, 2011

      Well, “random” means half day water cut for me once or for the most twice a year, and for the man in Mahaut once or twice a year etc around the island. Where is the beef?
      DOMLEC’s rate is the beef. That’s where the complaints should be directed.

  19. Patriot
    April 7, 2011

    It is about time we talk about the consumer. When are they ever going to talk about the quality and reliability. It has been known for hundreds of years that when it rains in Dominica the water gets muddy. Then why is it taking so long to realise that extra storage is needed. An auxiliary tank of three days storage capacity is all that is needed so that when the system is disconnected from the muddy water we do NOT have to shut down the supply. This is what development is all about; forward planning. That is what those high salaries and pay increases should produce.

    • Anonymous
      April 8, 2011

      I was waiting for someone to make a comment like this. I fully agree. I do hope that they plan to use the extra money to to improve the storage system, quality etc.

  20. U SOUNDING FOOLISH
    April 7, 2011

    I HOPE U SPENDING EVERY PENNY OF UR SALARY IN A GOOD WAY!! I HOPE U USING EVERYTHING WHICH LEAVES U DEAD BROKE MONTH END!! I HOPE U DON’T DRINK RUM, I HOPE U DON’T BUY CONDOM, I HOPE U DON’T SMOKE, I HOPE U DON’T BUY A BISCUIT WHEN IT NOT NECESSARY! I HOPE YOU REMOVE YOU MARPIN SERVICE…BECAUSE ALL THEY ASKING IS $1.50 ON EVERY $10.00 SO RELAX UR SELF!! BE DAMN GRATEFUL!! WHAT IF THEY HAD ASK FOR $5.00 ON EVERY $10.00….IS NOT I AM SAYING TO YOUR SELFISH COMMENT… YOU RATHER SEE A MAN LOSE HIS JOB OR YOU CONTRIBUTE $5.00 TO A COMPANY THAT EMPLOY YOU BROTHERS, SISTERS, FRIENDS, EVEN ENEMY, CHURCH BUDDIES, YOU SON TEACHER SON OR DAUGHTER!!! SO BEING SO DAMN DRAMATIC……………

  21. chakalaka
    April 7, 2011

    england dowasco getting water man it expensive soo??? shate man if we get another water company im pretty sure the prices will go down

  22. yout
    April 7, 2011

    ettinoff and his band of managers can accept a cut in salaries from thier big fat paychecks

  23. LMAO
    April 7, 2011

    Increasing the rate won’t solve Dowasco’s problem. They need to be more efficient with their operations. I won’t be surprised if they increase the rate next year again.

  24. Anonymous
    April 7, 2011

    take wat u get da i love da

  25. Anonymous
    April 7, 2011

    thay need the increase

  26. Anonymous
    April 7, 2011

    hahaha heheh thats what all you vote for i live by river :-D

  27. Pomgranate
    April 7, 2011

    We may not be happy to have to face an increase in anything utility bill or anything for that matter. However, it is done in lure of having to send our fellow men and women home. An increase of 15% may be considered tough but, consider it will save about 50 people from having to go home, earning nothing per month. Also since it is a percentage it will depend on your water consumption so I urgell a to be considerate to yourselves in the use of water.

    A lot of us also talk about so much water in Dominica. We need to realise that the water is in the river and it comes to our home at a cost; a considerable one at that. Our foreparents who used water from the 365 rivers would be greatful to have it right in their home now.

    Will not respond to those who try to politicise this cause anyone who can read and understand properly would not make that comment after reading the article.

  28. shatta
    April 7, 2011

    grandbay alone shud be paying for water increase

  29. water
    April 7, 2011

    Dominican is fortunate to have 365 rivers; business people in Dominica should come together, and try turning dead capital into live capital! So many ideas you can come up with, my calculation; 37B gallons would fill 440 average supertankers (assuming capacity 2 million barrels or 84M gallons per tanker). So that’s about 10 supertankers per week headed for wherever needs it.
    It would help the world’s water crisis. A 37B gallon is a lot of water; it’s literally a drop in the bucket on a global scale. But it certainly could relieve short-term problems, such as countries undergoing dry times. And, oh yeah it’s about $3B in annual profits.

  30. Muslim_Always
    April 7, 2011

    Haven’t you all recognized that anytime the muslims are troubled more punishments are afflicted on the world.

    Allah has blessed the muslims with oil. I mean it’s really very simple. If you don’t want to embrace Islam there is no force on you but kindly leave the muslims alone.

    Our moral and spiritual responsibility is to teach the truth about Allah. We are not terrorists.

  31. sadist
    April 7, 2011

    HOW MUCH DO U PAY SAT? HOW MUCH DO U PAY 4 INTERNET?HOW MUCH DO U PAY FOR BEER EVERY WEEKEND? THESE R THINGS U CAN DO WITHOUT 4 A DAY BUT NOT THE WATER. WHAT IS A LITTLE 6 OR 7 DOLLARS MORE.ALL U DAM PPLS IMPOSIBLE WE.

  32. Standard of living going down
    April 7, 2011

    The Dominica Public Service Union (DPSU) Should be commended for keeping up the pressure to ensure workers were not fired. The STANDARD OF LIVING of Dominicans is declining substantially with the increases in utility bills. Productivity low. Agriculture on the BACK BURNER Tourism at a standstill. Manufacturing going nowhere. RURAL FOLK, farmers, fishermen and families, artisans, the youth find it difficult to cope. UNEMPLOYMENT RISING DAILY The middle class feeling the heat. Dominicans, in general, are paying more for goods and service, MEANWHILE for those working, their WAGES AND SALARIES remain the same for years.

    The country, because of extremely LOW PRODUCTIVITY and PRODUCTION, coupled with increase unemployment, POVERTY is RISING to frightening levels. Gas, Diesel, electricity, Water, Food and other BILLS Increasing. IMPORTS VASTLY SURPASS EXPORTS. THE COUNTRY is not generating REVENUE. Imagine VAT is the major revenue earner. Govt. relies heavily on taxing the people. The majority of Dominican are GETTING POORER WHILE THE FEW ARE GETTING RICHER.

  33. RED HOT
    April 7, 2011

    where did dowasco go wrong????????

  34. Rebel
    April 7, 2011

    “Well i am extremly mad about dowasco even the water i does bathe they does maco. makes me feel like i am in Antigua a country like Dominica with so much water.
    The people in my country they tired scrunt, we should be paying a damn flat rate every month”.
    Carl they Joking
    they joking carl.

    from hunter calypso hit “Joking carl.”

    • The truth
      April 7, 2011

      the problem is not the water my friend. we know we have the water. the drama here lies in getting the water into your home and out of the tap. getting it purified as well. not to mention that dowasco may well be relaying pipes to remove them from under the new built roads. that alone is millions. so if u feel like u in the antiguan desert. take a stroll to the river now and again and hold a fresh there

  35. The truth
    April 7, 2011

    dominicans need to realise that the affairs world wide affect dominica too. when you all think the problem in the middle east is only their problem and that the problems in america and britain and the wider world is only theirs, they supply everything. especially when you think of china being the main exporter cutting back on its spending too. where do you think pipes come from? and the oil for gas and electricity? dominica doesnt produce oil nor make pipes or any machinery used in either of those supplies. it has to come from somewhere. considering the state of the world, this is a minor increase.

    it could have been a lot worse. there is no tax increase. and for the people crying on here, i bet this weekend they will be out somewhere drunk as ever. i never hear them asking who is going to pay for the alcohol ever in dca, nor the partying. i know me for one would rather pay and extra $5 a month and save someone’s job. if it was me i would look to help my brother.

    however, i do understand that dominica is hard. we have to hang in there because i can see dca getting better. and the money will come

    • reality
      April 8, 2011

      i agree l00% just tell de government and public service to increase salaries too nah!!

    • kaminik
      April 8, 2011

      I was about to agree with you and you spoil it with the last part,the money will come
      its time we stop saying that nonsense<WE the people need to stop making the government take us for FOOLS,red clinic <begging for a million this week ,then next year the money finish ,same thing begging again,invest in factorys
      NOT even plant what we eat we focusing on ,theres a start

      • The truth
        April 8, 2011

        I have nothing to say abot government. Gov have nothing to do with my comment. We have to develop our country. Governments do no develop businesses. The people do. I am not waiting on no gov to give me nothing. That’s fact

  36. The truth
    April 7, 2011

    well that not bad. i mean everything is rising with the current economic state and to be honest, as a dominican i wouldnt like to see anyone lose there job when an extra $5 a month could save it.

  37. next level
    April 7, 2011

    TAKE WHAT U GET

    • ???????????
      April 7, 2011

      You need to educate yourself on what is happenning around the world and how it affects us in Dominica. We import heavily and unrests, shortages etc can affect the prices of commodities.

  38. Stealth Critique
    April 7, 2011

    How exactly 15% increase in a utility bill no exorbitant?

    • Zenfan Morchoroh
      April 7, 2011

      Did you read carefully? It stated , ” there has not been an increase in 13(thirteen) years”. Ah, magway sa. Let’s be reasonable. It costs lots of money to bring water to the various communities around Dominica ,yet we continue to behave as if is bamboo and bwa papaille that is used to bring the water to us. How would you have felt if you were a DOWASCO employee facing a possible job loss with a mortgage, student loan, car loan etc to pay? After all these years an increase is more than justified. Dominicans to like FREENESS (freebies)

    • U SOUNDING FOOLISH
      April 7, 2011

      WHAT IS 15 PERCENT ON A WATER BILL!! IT’S $4.50 ON EVERY $30.00 OR FOR U SIMPLE MINDED PERSON IT’S $1.50 ON EVERY $10.00….

  39. cowine
    April 7, 2011

    W.T.F !!!! are they gona increas public officers pay too

  40. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
    April 7, 2011

    OK DOWASCO… Who is going to increase our salaries to meet all these increases: DOMLEC increase; Fuel increase; water increase more increase soon to come.

    • The truth
      April 7, 2011

      you all have to remember that the affairs world wide affect dominica too. when you all think the problem in the middle east is only their problem and that the problems in america and britain and the wider world is only theirs, they supply everything. where do you think pipes come from? and the oil for gas and electricity? dominica doesnt produce oil nor make pipes or any machinery used in either of those supplies. it has to come from somewhere. considering the state of the world, this is a minor increase.

      • ???????????
        April 7, 2011

        Tell them again .. They not listenning to news and what is happenning worldwide. What is happenning elsewhere has a domino effect to the other nations. Fuel hikes , unrest etc has an impact on us since we do import from the outside world!

      • kaminik
        April 8, 2011

        truth i think u missing the point ,what is our goverment doing about that <what steps are they taking<apart from telling the utility companys it ok increase the rates

    • Anonymous
      April 7, 2011

      you vote for that

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