Bulawayo Deputy mayor calls for adoption of smart water meters

BULAWAYO deputy mayor, Councillor Edwin Ndlovu, has proposed the adoption of smart water meters following numerous complaints from consumers regarding high water bills and the system of billing.

Residents and businesses in the city have been raising serious concerns about the city’s billing system with the ratepayers accusing council of estimating meter readings resulting in unreasonably high water charges, at a time when the city’s taps will be dry most of the time due to prolonged water shedding periods meant to preserve the little water remaining in the supply dams.

According to the latest council meeting, Cllr Ndlovu made the remarks following a billing and ICT workshop proposal after the acting financial director had reported that the council had been receiving complaints from consumers regarding bills and the system of billing.

“There was an urgent need to explain the billing system, the causes of the high bills, and the general challenges regarding billing,” read the minutes.

The objectives of the workshop whose proposed date was June 11 were to explain the billing process, and the effectiveness and efficiency of the council’s billing system, to clarify the detailed features of council bills, to outline the causes of high bills and to present the challenges in the billing process.

The workshop was also meant to explain the receipting system and procedure of dealing with online payments and direct deposits.

A smart water meter, or digital water meter, is a modern device that measures and monitors water consumption in homes, businesses, and other facilities. Unlike traditional water meters that rely on manual readings by utility personnel, smart water meters have various sensors and communication capabilities that allow for automated data collection and transmission.

According to water solutions experts, performancesolutions.com, smart water meters offer numerous benefits to water utilities and their customers. They help improve water management, reduce water waste, enhance customer service, and contribute to the efficient and sustainable use of water resources which leads to accurate billing, reducing non-revenue water as customers are billed for the exact amount of water they use.