.……….ZNOART national chairman, Shalvar Chikomba
Staff Writer
The Zimbabwe National Organization Association of Residents Trust (ZNOART) has implored residents to embrace the smart water meter programme being implemented by Helcraw Water as this will go a long way in alleviating Harare’s water crisis.
Helcraw Water, has partnered with the City of Harare to install prepaid water meters and upgrade water infrastructure.
Speaking during a familiarization tour of the private company’s operations yesterday, ZNOART national chairman, Shalvar Chikomba hailed the project as a milestone development.
” We have it on good authority that Helcraw is not only about prepaid smart meters, they are also going to be refurbishing our 5000km water infrastructure pipes from Morton
Jeffrey water works right to our domestic meters.
“You know very much we have been paying for water to the City of Harare for too long but they haven’t been able to meet their other side of the coin.
We know their mandate is to bring running tap water in our homes but they have been failing to do that, with reports that 60 percent of treated water is being lost from Morton Jeffrey due
to leaks,”said Chikomba.
Chikomba said residents in Harare need affordable running tap water.
“Let it be known that residents need affordable running tap water in their homes and to pay for water which they could have used.
We had been subjected to guesses and estimates (guestimates)
and we are sure this will be a thing of the past if this project is implemented accordingly and on time lines which are on the MOU they have signed.
“The prepaid smart water and refurbishment of water infrastructure in Harare is a milestone for us residents, we
believe the introduction of this project will help alleviate the water crisis by ensuring a more consistent and reliable supply of domestic water,” he said.
Chikomba urged Harare residents to embrace the programme.
“We urge residents to embrace this smart water meter program across all our cities as this would provide real time data on water usage, allowing for more accurate billing and quicker detection of leaks,”he said.