WILLEMSTAD – Thousands of Curaçao families may still be struggling with unpaid utility bills and disconnections despite the earlier “Pasku Ku Bida” debt relief initiative, according to questions submitted to Parliament by MFK parliamentarian Javier Silvania.
In a parliamentary letter to Minister Charetty America-Francisca, Silvania warns that families continue approaching him with complaints that they cannot afford the upfront payments required by Aqualectra to reconnect water and electricity services.
According to the MP, some minimum wage earners are reportedly being asked to make advance payments ranging from NAf 3,000 to NAf 7,000 before utility services can be restored.
Silvania argues that many low-income households simply cannot afford those amounts.
The parliamentarian cites earlier Aqualectra figures showing that by 2024, 1,345 minimum wage households owed a combined total of NAf 11.6 million, while another 4,451 households with incomes above minimum wage owed approximately NAf 39.6 million in unpaid utility debts.
He is now demanding updated figures from the government on how many households currently owe Aqualectra money in 2026, how many families have already had their services disconnected, and how many still remain connected despite outstanding debts.
Silvania also wants to know how Aqualectra calculates the upfront payments required for reconnection and has requested several examples of those calculations.
The MFK parliamentarian warns that new debt cases continue emerging daily while utility disconnections also continue.
According to the letter, the original government intention was to continue the debt relief project until all affected households had been reconnected. Silvania claims that after Minister America-Francisca took over the SOAW portfolio, the policy of utility debt relief was no longer continued.
He is now calling for a permanent structural government policy to help vulnerable households maintain access to water and electricity over the next three years.
Silvania proposes creating a permanent working group involving Aqualectra, SOAW, Domain Management, and the Ministry of Finance to monitor reconnections, oversee debt relief implementation, and publish monthly progress reports for the public.