The Sunday Mail
Debra Matabvu
Over the past year, the issue of pre-paid water meters has become a sensitive topic in the country, especially in Harare and Bulawayo where it has created a huge rift between local authorities and residents who are fiercely opposed to the idea.
The councils argue that the current water revenue inflows fall short in funding water reticulation systems and providing efficient services for the rapidly growing population, thus the new system would help.
They also argue that pre-paid water meters would help them determine realistic budgets. The current system of use now and pay later is producing unstable revenue inflows.
If the pre-paid meters are installed, councils will deduct a certain percentage of money from defaulting customers once they pay for their water supplies. This will allow local authorities to reduce the amounts that they are currently owed.
Harare City Council, which is owed over US$400 million by defaulters, says due to lack of financial and infrastructural resources, it can only afford to distribute not more than 550 mega litres of water a day against a demand of at least 900 mega litres.
Despite conducting massive disconnections over the years, councils have never been able to recover the ballooning debts and therefore they have pinned their hopes on the pre-paid water meters.
Harare City Council is set to conduct a pilot project in the first quarter of the year in preparation of the exercise later this year.
Civic societies and residents associations say the installation of the prepaid water meters will be an infringement of their right to portable water.
Section 77 of Zimbabwe’s Constitution says every person has the “right to safe, clean and potable water, and (b) sufficient food and the State must take reasonable legislative and other measure, within the limits of the resources available to it, to achieve the progressive realisation of this right”.
Council officials say residents are selecting parts of the clause that suits them. They insist that residents should realise that safe portable water can only be provided if there are adequate resources.
Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Saviour Kasukuwere maintains that, “Water provision on its own requires somebody to pay for it.
“We agree that water is a human right, but it is the transmission that must be paid for. People should pay for services so that they access clean, adequate water.
“If they do not pay where will the money to buy chemicals to treat the water come from?
“The question of prepaid water meters is meant to support councils and service providers to have enough money to service the communities with water.”
Harare Residents Trust (HRT) spokesperson, Esther Chimanikire said the new system would cause inconveniences to communities.
“We understand there is no provision for free water in the new system, what happens when there is a fire and one has insufficient credit to put out the fire? Properties and lives will be lost unnecessarily,” she said.
“We also understand the system is going to use electricity, this means that if we have no power for 72 hours, we will not also have water for 72 hours.
“Researches done by some organizations indicate that prepaid water meters need a constant supply of water for them to function properly, will they still be working two months down the line given that most residential areas in Harare do not have water? ” she further queried.
Most urban areas have been experiencing critical water shortages since the turn of the millennium as the water system, which was designed for a small population, is now giving in to increased pressure.
Though most Municipalities in African countries have said that prepaid water meters are cost effective, a Cholera outbreak in 2002 killed 259 people in KwaZulu Natal during the system’s pilot project.
