Zimbabwe introduces prepaid smart water metres to boost water supply
Zimbabwe is planning to introduce prepaid smart water metres across the country as part of efforts to improve water services.
The initiative aims to provide cleaner water, improve billing systems, and attract private investment to the water supply sector.
The project will start in the capital Harare, where a new water treatment plant and better infrastructure for water distribution will be built.
Private companies will help handle the entire process, including purifying water, delivering it to homes, billing, and managing wastewater.
The prepaid smart metres will also ensure more accurate billing and replace the current system that has been criticised for being inefficient and unfair.
This comes after challenges with Harare’s billing system with residents complaining about being charged for services they did not receive.
Illegal water connections and tampering with metres have also made it difficult to collect money for water services.
The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works is working with private companies to implement the project, Minister Daniel Garwe confirmed to The Sunday Times.
According to him, teams are already assessing water systems in different areas to ensure the project runs smoothly. The number of smart metres needed will be decided once these assessments are complete.
Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume said the new smart meters will allow people to see how much water they are using in real-time
This he says, will help residents make better choices about how much water they consume. At the same time, it will help the council recover the costs of treating and supplying water.
