Online Reporter
Remember Deketeke
Municipal Correspondent
MORE than 70 200 prepaid water meters have been installed across Harare this year—surpassing projections and putting the city within reach of its 100 000-target—while crews have also renewed 52km of dilapidated pipelines.
This was revealed by Helcraw Water managing director Mr Zodeck Muchoko in an interview with The Herald on Saturday.
“Our target at the beginning of the year was to install 100 000 prepaid water meters. As of yesterday (Friday last week), we had installed just above 70 000, about 70 200,” he said.
“Looking at today’s date, 3 July, and considering that we still have six months to go, we are confident that we will surpass that target by far. Our revised target is now around 140 000 prepaid water meters by the end of this year.”
The project is under a private public partnership between the City of Harare and Helcraw Water.
Mr Muchoko said they had already replaced 52 kilometres of old water pipes against an annual target of 106 kilometres.
“Our target this year is around 106 kilometres of pipe replacement. So far, we have completed 52 kilometres, replacing the old pipes with new PVC pipes to reduce leaks and improve water distribution,” he said.
Mr Muchoko said the utility had deliberately prioritised installing prepaid meters in suburbs that already receive consistent water supplies, with other areas set to benefit as production increases and water losses are reduced.
He added that suburbs such as Kuwadzana, Warren Park and Glen View had been prioritised because they had experienced major metering challenges.
The utility is also undertaking rehabilitation works at Morton Jaffray Water Works to increase water production with the rehabilitation of six filters and one clarifier now at an advanced stage.
The rehabilitation is expected to increase production by at least 75 megalitres per day within the next two months.
Residents welcomed the prepaid metering programme, saying it would improve transparency in billing.
Kuwadzana 5 resident Ms Angeline Zindoga said the initiative would eliminate estimated billing.
“These prepaid meters are a welcome development because they remove the council’s habit of estimating our consumption. We will only pay for the water we actually use instead of being billed based on guesses,” she said.
Another Kuwadzana 5 resident, Ms Gamuchirai Gomba, said the system would restore public confidence.
“In the past, people would accuse councils of creating debts for no reason, with some believing their money had simply disappeared. Prepaid meters will bring transparency because everyone will know exactly what they have paid for and how much water they have used,” she said.
