Chronicle Editor
Lovemore Meya Herald Correspondent
Chitungwiza Municipality will increase water tariffs if the proposal by the Harare City Council (HCC) to hike rates from 25c to 75c next year is approved, an official has said. In its 2018 budget, HCC proposed to increase water charges for high-density suburbs to 75 cents from the current 25 cents for 1-10 cubic metres. Currently, Chitungwiza owes HCC over $8 million for water supplied to the dormitory town.
Acting Town Clerk Mrs Charity Maunga told The Herald that Harare’s tariff hike would have a direct impact on residents. “We intend to review our water tariffs in the event that Harare City Council’s proposal sails through,” said Mrs Maunga. “We do not have our own water source, we get it from Harare.
“Whatever tariffs are approved for Harare also affect Chitungwiza and obviously if those increments are approved, we will also have to increase ours here. “In our 2018 budget, we put a provision that if there is going to be an increase in Harare, we will also do the same so that we are able to cover the difference.
“This is as a result of us not having to find other means of paying that difference, except from the residents and we want to say that there may be an increase, if at all the tariff increases in Harare are approved.” Mrs Maunga encouraged residents to pay their current tariffs because if there is an increase in 2018, it will have a direct impact on them.
“You would rather clear your bills now than waiting for an increment which might come in 2018. “At the moment, we owe Harare $7,2 million as at June and we entered into a deed of settlement where we are paying a daily fee of $7 000 from our water account. “We gave our bank a stop order instruction in which they will be an automatic deduction from our water account to pay City of Harare on a day-to-day basis,” she said.
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