Online Reporter
Debra Matabvu
Herald Reporter
HARARE City Council yesterday took delivery of 20 000 prepaid water meters, marking the commencement of a major programme geared to enhance water distribution and billing efficiency.
The meters were delivered by the city’s partner Helcraw Water and will be installed in selected suburbs once testing is complete.
Another 40 000 meters are expected to be delivered before the end of the year, bringing the first phase of the upgrade to 60 000 units.
Council and Helcraw are testing the meters ahead of installation.
Preparatory work is under way to identify the suburbs that will be prioritised in the rollout.
The installation of the new devices is expected to help the city accurately measure consumption, curb losses and improve revenue collection.
In a statement yesterday, council said: “As the City of Harare strives to improve water production and distribution, our partner Helcraw Water has taken delivery of 20 000 water meters to be installed around the city.
“Another 40 000 meters will be delivered before the end of the year.
“The City of Harare and its partners are in the process of testing the water meters before they are installed.
“The preparatory works for the installation of the water meters involves identifying suburbs where meters will be installed first.”
Helcraw has also procured new water pipes to replace ageing lines that were installed in the 1950s and now burst frequently, contributing to massive water losses and supply interruptions.
In addition, repair and replacement work is ongoing at Morton Jaffray Water Works to restore efficiency at the city’s main treatment plant.
The city expects water production capacity to rise significantly once the rehabilitation programme is complete.
Output is projected to increase from the current 320–350 megalitres per day to about 520 megalitres per day, a development that will substantially boost water delivery to residents.
The initial batch of meters delivered to the city is part of a broader programme to roll out 500 000 prepaid meters across Harare and surrounding towns under Government’s water sector reform agenda, which also includes replacing old pipes, strengthening infrastructure maintenance and decentralising water treatment to ensure reliable supply.
The prepaid meters will operate using a smart card system, allowing residents to pay for water before use in the same way they purchase electricity tokens.
The technology enables households to monitor consumption and budget more accurately, while the city collects revenue upfront, a move expected to curb debt, prevent illegal connections and plug long-standing leakages in the billing system.
As part of long-term solutions to Harare’s water shortages, Helcrow has also been allocated land in Donnybrook to build a new water treatment plant that will draw water from Kunzvi Dam, which will supply the eastern suburbs.
