Urban water tariffs slashed

bring relief to many urban consumers.
Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister Ignatius Chombo yesterday said the new charges would become effective as soon as they are gazetted.
Harare’s fixed water charge for high density areas has been reduced from US$7 to US$5 while residents in low density suburbs will now pay US$11, down from USS$13.
For the first 20 cubic metres, consumers will now pay US20 cents per cubic metre down from US30 cents. From 21 to 50 cubic metres, the residents will pay US60 cents per cubic metre.
Residents who do not receive water for 30 consecutive days should refuse to pay for that particular month.
“To curb unwarranted excessive use of water, those in the 51 to 100 cubic metre consumption bands, will have to fork out US$1 per cubic metre. The same trend shall be depicted in the industrial and commercial sectors,” Minister Chombo.
Harare water is more expensive, implying that the costs for other cities might actually be lower.
Many urbanites earn very little and are unable to meet the cost of the food basket.
The State has also directed that councils should sell all rented houses to sitting tenants who have occupied the properties for over 15 years.
Addressing journalists on wide ranging issues in Harare yesterday, Minister Chombo said, this was Government’s move to empower the people and curb corruption following the recent property grab by some Harare City councillors drawn from MDC-T.
Minister Chombo said the new water prices had been made in consultation with Water Resources Development and Management Minister Sipepa Nkomo.
He ordered local authorities to ring-fence their water accounts to ensure that money generated from water and the management of sewer is ploughed back into water and sewer works.
The other charges reduced are health fees. Children will now pay US$2 at clinics while adults pay US$5. At hospitals, children pay US$5 and adults US$10. Maternity fees are now US$25 at council health centres.
On the directive on rented houses, Minister Chombo said the various audits by his ministry had exposed the need for local authorities to review their policies and practices in regard to their mandate.
“For example, there is definite need in the case of our major cities and municipalities to review the rented accommodation policies so as to enable the sitting tenants and their spouses, or surviving children to assume ownership of the rented facility after a defined period of perpetual occupancy.
“This is only fair as the sitting tenants would have made their contribution in rentals in excess of the recoverable cost of construction,” he said.
He said by the end of this year local authorities should have either completed the exercise or it should be nearing completion.
“Local authorities have already recovered their money through rentals. We need to empower our people and give them the power to improve the properties,” he said.
Councils like Harare charge rates on the basis of the size and improvements to a property.
Meanwhile, the supply of water in many high and low-density suburbs in Harare remained erratic with many residents complaining of water cuts.
City Council has attributed the poor supply to water pipes bursts and erratic power supply at its pump stations.