Harare residents oppose prepaid water meters

By Tendayi Madhomu

The Combined Harare Residents’ Association (CHRA) has questioned the rationale behind the local authority’s plans to install prepaid water metres amid poor water supplies.

Mfundo Mlilo, the director of CHRA, told the Daily News: “We have asked them what problem they are trying to address and they have said it is the issue of non-payment of bills.

“In some countries where the project has been implemented, revenue has been reduced.”

Mlilo said the project was very costly and an unnecessary burden for council.

“When we last checked, a single unit of the gadgets cost US$300. Most of these institutions’ bills are paid via EcoCash, which means it will cost about $900 to purchase one unit.”

He said the mud that comes out of the Harare taps due to the old pipes, when supplies resume after a while, disrupts the functioning of the prepaid meters.

Harare mayor Hebert Gomba this week announced that the local authority will roll out prepaid water meters in January next year, with an initial target of 100 000 households, but this will be on a voluntary basis. DailyNews