Chronicle Editor
Mashudu Netsianda, Online Reporter
The Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) has so far installed 16 063 prepaid water meters for businesses and institutions operating within its areas of jurisdiction as it seeks to recover $3 billion that it is owed.
Zinwa intends to install 35 000 prepaid water meters by the end of this year for its clients in the growth points, small towns and rural service centres.
The roll out of the prepaid water meters follows successful piloting of the concept in Mvurwi and Chivhu between 2019 and 2021 when the full-scale rollout commenced.
The current rollout is targeting domestic clients, businesses, schools, churches, parastatals and other institutions.
The meters are being installed for free of charge and of the 16 063 prepaid meters, 2 616 have been installed in Hwange, 5 305 in Karoi, 2 419 in Mutoko, 1 829 in Nyanga, 1425 in Filabusi, 1 002 in Murehwa while the remainder is in Chivhu and Mvurwi.
Installation of prepaid water meters in Gokwe started on Monday.
Implementation of the prepaid water meters is one of the long-term strategies that Zinwa is employing to improve its revenue collection and curb its growing debtors’ book.
Zinwa corporate communications and marketing manager Mrs Marjorie Munyonga the reception of the prepaid water meters has received an overwhelmingly positive response from consumers.
“The introduction of prepaid water meters is expected to place clients in firm control of their water consumption patterns as they are now able to pay for their water requirements in advance, hence preventing debt build ups which were common under the post-paid metering system.
Clients are now able to prepay their water and get tokens from wherever they are using mobile payment platforms OneMoney and Ecocash,” she said.
“Prepaid meters are also helping eliminate some of the billing challenges that have been a bone of contention between Zinwa and its clients, such as the use of estimates for those clients who had no or had non-functional meters.”
Mrs Munyonga said clients who had debts from the post-paid metering system will also be able to access water while servicing their debts.
“An arrangement for part of any payments they make being channeled towards the retirement of the legacy debt. Zinwa also envisages that the introduction of prepaid water meters will also help in the improvement of service delivery with resources previously used in activities such as meter readings and bills distribution now being directed towards other service delivery endeavours such as attending to breakdowns,” she said.
Online Reporter