THE Harare City Council’s smart water meter rollout is under threat following a wave of thefts and vandalism targeting the newly-installed gadgets, NewsDay has established.
The prepaid water meters, part of an ongoing initiative to improve water management and billing transparency in the city, have been targeted by vandals in several instances, raising fears about sustainability and effectiveness of the programme.
The City of Harare is rolling out smart prepaid water meters in partnership with Helcraw Water to curb revenue loss and improve water-demand management.
More than 23 000 smart meters have been installed in high-density areas and the Avenues area, with a target of 600 000 units nationwide.
Some residents have welcomed the prepaid meters saying estimated bills will be a thing of the past, while others have expressed concern that the meters limit low-income families' access to water.
In an interview with NewsDay, Harare Residents Trust director Precious Shumba said the introduction of prepaid water meters remained highly-contested.
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“The introduction of prepaid water meters remains highly-contested, as residents we have been engaging both Harare Water and Helcraw Water to try to find a sustainable solution to the numerous concerns raised by residents,” he said.
“There is still resistance to the idea of prepaid water meters, due to the erratic water supply and the widespread loss of treated water through leakages and illegal connections along the water distribution network.
“The vandalism of prepaid water meters is a recent phenomenon. We have received reports about the incidents and we have requested our community leaders to gather more evidence about the unfortunate situation.”
Shumba said the numerous reports of vandalism of prepaid water meters stemmed from lack awareness.
“As residents we condemn acts of vandalism by the yet to be identified culprits. We have also reservations about prepaid water meters, mainly on price, unreliable water supply and the visible impurities in the water,” he said.
Shumba said residents were trying to initiate dialogue with Harare Water and Helcraw where selected residents share their experiences and reports from residents.
He said a long-term solution should involve the police ridding communities of vandals who deliberately destroy public property.
Combined Harare Residents Association leader Rueben Akili revealed that thieves were targeting smart meter valves across the city.
“We have realised massive vandalism of public property and this is unacceptable, thieves are targeting smart meter valves and this is now rampant in Harare,” he said.
Akili said they would engage Harare City Council and Helcraw to find out if they would replace the meters, adding that these were major issues which needed to be addressed.
“As residents are we the ones who are supposed to replace the meters, so we want to meet Harare City Council so that we map the way forward,” he said.
Harare mayor Jacob Mafume said vandalism of prepaid water meters was a serious offence.
“We are taking this matter seriously, vandalism of public property is a serious offence and warrants a jail term. We have approached relevant authorities over the matter,” he said.