Online Reporter
Remember Deketeke-Herald Correspondent
HARARE City Council, through its implementing partners Halcraw Electrical, has started installing prepaid water meters, with at least 50 residential flats getting their meters yesterday.
The installations will be done in phases.
They started installing in Harare’s central business district at Birdcage Walk Flats and Calder Gardens.
Speaking at the installation of the first batch of 25, Halcraw Electrical managing director, Mr Brendon Jere, said the prepaid system will promote responsible water use, reduce losses and ensure residents only pay for what they consume.
“What we want is to cut losses through reducing non-revenue water to less than 5 percent and making sure that people get water that they have paid for,” he said.
“As we work with the City of Harare, we are going to fix and replace burst pipes to deal with issues of non-revenue water. We are going to replace the existing postpaid meters with prepaid meters in areas receiving water.”
Further, they will rehabilitate Morton Jaffray Water Works to increase its capacity.
“We are all going to see water coming out in places that haven’t received water. This is in line with our President’s vision that by 2030, every household will receive potable water at its door step,” said Mr Jere.
Harare presently loses an estimated 60 percent of treated water before it reaches consumers, a staggering figure that translates to more than US$3 million in monthly losses.
Read also: https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/editorial-comment-prepaid-water-meters-need-to-be-customer-friendly/
Non-revenue water, the one that is produced but lost through leaks, faulty meters or theft, has crippled the city’s finances, undermined service delivery and forced some residents to rely on unsafe alternative sources.
Laison Technologies vice president Mr Clark Dai, who was training City of Harare officials in the installation of prepaid water meters, said those who have been equipped with skills will help in fully installing the pipes and teach others on how to change and install meters.
Birdcage Walk Flats property owner Mr Elias Kaseke welcomed the development.
“The previous billing system negatively affected both paying and non-paying residents and I hope that prepaid meters would ensure consistent water supply and fairness,” he said.
Zimbabwe National Organisation of Association and Residents Trust national chairman Mr Shalvar Chikomba hailed the development and urged residents to embrace the prepaid water meters. “Gone are the days when people did not have water; now people pay for the water they use and non-revenue water will be a thing of the past,” he said.
