$30m needed for water meters

Natasha Kokai
The Harare City Council, which planned to roll out prepaid water meters last month, needs at least $30 million for the exercise and now plans to foot part of the bill via internally generated revenues.

Town clerk Engineer Hosiah Chisango said the three-year project would now likely start in 2019.

“We will install the prepaid meters as soon as the $30 million is available and currently, we do not have a fixed date although it is from next year onwards.

“Our contractors could not meet the required finances; therefore, we decided to fund ourselves. The funding will come from the ratepayers of the city. As a result, we have extended our project to a maximum of three years,” he said.

The project will start with 100 000 households that already have constant water supplies. Repair and replacement of water and sewer pipes, Eng Chisango added, took precedence over installation of prepaid meters.

The city contends prepared water will help it recover debts and improve revenue collections. Harare Water contributes more than 80 percent of the capital city’s revenues.