Councillor revives prepaid water metres debate

Source: Councillor revives prepaid water metres debate – The Southern Eye

Bulawayo residents have been at loggerheads with their local authority over suspected estimated bills.

A Bulawayo councillor has again revived debate on water metres saying the local authority has to install them to deal with billing challenges.

Ward 15 councillor, Ashton Mhlanga, said the local authority was losing millions in potential revenues through leakages because of faulty billing systems.

“Implementation of prepaid water meters will help the council to recover millions of dollars owed by residents hence improving the service delivery as they would be able to receive funds,” Mhlanga told Southern Eye on Sunday.

Council once suggested installing prepaid water metres across the city, but faced resistance from ratepayers.

Bulawayo residents have been at loggerheads with their local authority over suspected estimated bills.

According to residents, the huge bills they receive do not correspond with the fact that they only receive water supplies a few days a month while refuse collection is also not erratic.

Mhlanga, however, said pre-paid meters were inevitable in the long run.

“During budget consultations, residents also called for the introduction of prepaid water metres because the current system not reliable,” he said.

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