By MOFFAT CHAZINGWA –
NKANA Water and Sewerage Company (NWSC) has written off old debts  to a tune of K32 million owed by customers, company acting managing director Mutinta Mwale has said.
Ms Mwale said at the weekend that the cancellation of the old outstanding debt follows water challenges experienced in some of the company’s operational catchment areas were consumers kept receiving utility bills even without accessing tap water.
She, however, said the written off debt was for outstanding arrears for water bills that had accumulated prior to 2008.
Ms Mwale said this after she led journalists and members of the community on a conducted tour of Kamfinsa constituency aimed at appreciating the works being undertaken by the utility in addressing water and sanitation challenges.
“We have written off old debt that accumulated before 2008 so that customers can start on a new note,” Ms Mwale said.
She said prior to taking the step to write off the debt, the water utility had been overwhelmed by complaints from consumers who wondered why they were being served with bills and yet they had no water.
“On that basis, the board of directors approved the decision to write off old outstanding debt from five years ago going back and so we are talking of debt that accumulated before 2008,” she said.
Ms Mwale said the company had invested over $3.2 million in the project for improvement of water reticulation and a further $9,000 in the sanitation project in Kamfinsa constituency and that most of the works which involved construction of new water tanks and replacement of service lines had been done.
Meanwhile, Kamfinsa Member of Parliament (MP) Moses Chishimba has warned of Government wrath against culprits engaging in vandalism of water and sewerage infrastructure being put up at a great cost.
Mr Chishimba who expressed satisfaction at the pace at which works for improving water reticulation in his constituency and the district as a whole was progressing warned of Government wrath against people engaging in the vandalism of the newly installed water and sewerage infrastructure.
Mr Chishimba said Government was installing new water and sewerage infrastructure to improve service delivery but that some selfish individuals had kept frustrating these efforts by vandalising the service lines.
Earlier, site engineer, Obrien Musonda from Gauff Consulting Engineers said some members of the community had started blocking the newly constructed sewer lines and manholes with the aim  of diverting effluents for use in their gardens.