The Sunday News
Tinomuda Chakanyuka, Senior Reporter
INSTALLATION of prepaid water meters for local authorities by the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) is set to start next month as the authority seeks to improve service delivery, revenue collection as well as contain a ballooning debtors’ book.
This follows a recent Cabinet approval for the authority to install prepaid water meters for all its clients, which include local authorities, irrigators, individual consumers, Government departments, mines and other institutions.
Zinwa has successfully piloted the prepaid water meter project in Gwanda and Beitbridge.
In a statement, Zinwa communications and marketing manager Mrs Marjorie Munyonga said procurement of the prepaid meters had already started.
She said local authorities and commercial clients would be first to have prepaid water meters installed followed by individual consumers.
“Zinwa has already commenced the procurement process for the prepaid meters by inviting prospective suppliers of the meters to tender.
“Under the implementation exercise, local authorities and commercial clients will have the prepaid meters first while individual consumers will have the meters at a later stage,” she said.
Mrs Munyonga said installation of prepaid water meters would help Zinwa deal with non-payment of water bills by some of its clients, as it battles to recover a growing debt.
Zinwa is owed in excess of $146 million by its various clients who include local authorities, irrigators, individual consumers, Government departments, mines and other institutions.
Mrs Munyonga said the prepaid meters would also allow clients to be in control of their bills.
“Prepaid water meters will allow Zinwa to collect money for water used by clients while it will, at the same time, allow the consumers to use what they can afford.
“These meters also give consumers more control of their bills as they will now pay only for what they would have used,” she said.
Mrs Munyonga added that the prepaid water meters would also address concerns by clients over the use of estimates in billing in cases where consumers have non-functional meters or where Zinwa employees could not access the clients’ premises.
She bemoaned the non-payment of water bills by Zinwa clients which she said was adversely affecting operations and service delivery due to cash flow challenges.
Mrs Munyonga said failure to collect enough money had seen the authority struggle to carry out critical maintenance work on time, procure and build water treatment chemical stocks, replace ageing equipment and meet its statutory obligations such as the payment of taxes, levies, creditors and staff salaries.
“The authority continues to reiterate that service delivery can only be guaranteed when clients pay their bills and appeals to all clients that are in debt to pay up or approach their respective Zinwa offices and enter into acceptable payment plans,” she said.
Zinwa has come under fire from the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works and National Housing which recently submitted that the authority had failed its mandate and should cede the provision of potable water and sewer reticulation to local authorities.
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee has also accused Zinwa of indiscriminately cutting off supplies to the local authorities to force them to pay their arrears.
This, the committee argued, exposes residents to health hazards as they are forced to turn to unsafe water sources.
Zinwa has also been accused of relegating the duty to maintain water and sewer reticulation infrastructure to local authorities, yet retaining control of potable water, an arrangement some local authorities feel is unfair.
Local authorities have also accused Zinwa of charging exorbitant tariffs for bulk water, resulting in councils failing to pay water bills and owing the authority huge sums of money.
@irielyan
