SHURUGWI Town Council will soon roll out prepaid water meters to maximise on its revenue collection, although the concept has received massive resistance in other urban areas such as Harare and Bulawayo.
by Stephen Chadenga
Council chairperson Tsungai Makore said the local authority would start by rolling out 3 000 prepaid water meters at households and business premises, adding residents had embraced the idea.
“We will soon start rolling out 3 000 prepaid water meters, as we step up moves to introduce the new technology,” Makore said in an interview.
Makore said his council had already gone through the tendering process, though he was not at liberty to disclose the winning bidder.
He said council would recover outstanding amounts from ratepayers by charging a small percentage on purchased water meter vouchers.
Shurugwi is owed $4million in outstanding water bills.
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“The platform on smart meters would allow us to collect outstanding amounts as a small percentage will be charged on vouchers purchased, this would ease the burden on consumers,” he said.
In September this year, Bulawayo residents demonstrated against the municipality’s decision to introduce the new technology.
Recently, Harare City Council set aside $31 000 to conduct smart water meter awareness campaigns and consultations with trial runs already launched in some parts of the city.
