Council sets aside $4m for prepaid water meters

Nyemudzai Kakore Herald Correspondent
Harare City Council has set aside over $4 million in its 2018 budget for the installation of 10 000 prepaid water meters in residential areas that receive water with reasonable consistency.

The pilot phase of the prepaid water metering project saw 2 000 meters being installed this year.

Presenting the budget at Town House recently, Finance and Development Committee chairperson Councillor Luckson Mukunguma said prepaid meters improved revenue collection, as well as service delivery which had plummeted to unacceptable levels.

The city is owed more than $700 million by ratepayers.

“The replacement of the current conventional water meters with the smart prepaid meters reflects modern trends,” said Clr Mukunguma.

“Prepaid meters are expected to serve as a revenue collection tool, as well as a debt recovery mechanism. Smart pre-paid meters discourage wastefulness and water saved elsewhere will be distributed to areas that do not receive the commodity regularly such as Mabvuku, Tafara and Msasa Park.”

Council is also set to slash industrial and commercial fixed water charges to $25 from $50 and scrap fixed water charges for low and high-density areas. Clr Mukunguma said there was need to improve the quality of water the city was supplying to its residents.

He said $1,5 million will be set aside for the rehabilitation of 39 filers at Morton Jaffray Water Treatment Works.

“The city also targeted water quality compliance by refurbishing filters, improving on chemical dosing facilities and cleaned reservoirs,” said Clr Mukunguma.

“Quality compliance has improved from 89 percent to 96 percent.

“The rehabilitation of the 39 filters will be done in tandem with the cleaning of reservoirs, rehabilitation of biological nutrients removal and pipe replacement programmes at a total cost of $7 million.”

Council this year increased its water treatment capacity from 400 to 520 million litres per day and expects to reach 600 million litres per day in December after the commissioning of constituent units.