Online Reporter
Patrick Chitumba, [email protected]
SHURUGWI Town Council (STC) has given more than 1 600 residents with malfunctioning water meters until June 30 to rectify the problem as part of a drive to address water management and billing challenges in the town.
The council is urging 1 678 households without functional meters to regularise their connections before the deadline.
The directive was announced at a full council meeting last week, where Town Secretary, Mr Archbold Ncube, outlined a strategy to improve billing efficiency, reduce water losses and promote responsible usage.
Under a flexible arrangement, affected households can buy water meters from approved suppliers and submit them to the council for installation.
Mr Ncube said those who buy the meters will have their accounts credited with the amount spent on the meters.
“We have about 1 678 households without functional water meters, and we encourage them to buy the meters from approved suppliers. They should bring the meters to the council so that we can deduct the cost from their outstanding bills,” he said.
Mr Ncube said the initiative was not solely about revenue collection but also about instilling accountability and ensuring fair billing.
“Without functional metres, the council has relied on estimated billing, which has drawn criticism from residents and therefore the need to address the issue of malfunctioning water meters by the end of June,” he said.
Mr Ncube warned that the local authority will not tolerate tampering with or by-passing meters, describing such practices as harmful to the town’s already strained water infrastructure.
“Those caught tampering with or by-passing meters will face fines or disconnection of supplies,” he said, adding that enforcement teams will be deployed to monitor compliance in high-risk areas.
Mr Ncube believes that improved metering will strengthen the council’s revenue base and facilitate better service delivery in the long term.
The move comes as many local authorities battle ageing infrastructure, water losses and unpaid bills.
In Shurugwi, the lack of functional meters has been identified as a key contributor to inefficiencies affecting both service delivery and revenue collection. Residents have welcomed the move by the council.
Mr Andrew Chitema said the grace period allows residents time to buy the meters so that at the end of the day they pay for water used.
“This is a good initiative as it will enable council to bill residents based on accurate meter readings,” he said.
Sidumisile Mabena