PLUMTREE Town Council is set to introduce prepaid water meters despite protests from ratepayers, who have condemned the move as an assault on the right to water.Alderman Similo Ndlovu said the gadgets would ensure residents pay their bills.Ndlovu added that prepaid meters would obviate the problem of estimated water bills and reduce errors.“The prepaid meters will help council to efficiently collect revenue for water and other rates,” he said.“This will also encourage responsible usage of water.”Ndlovu claimed that residents had embraced the initiative.“The residents are in support of this initiative as they say it makes them pay for what they have used rather than the use of post-paid meters as they suffer due to estimates making them lose money on services they are not obtaining,” he said.“They also say they suspect incorrect meter reading, hence prepaid water meters are handy.“However, there’s a section of the population that feels it will be affected by these water meters as only those who pay access the precious liquid.”This follows reports that the Local Government ministry plans to roll out prepaid water meters across the country.Residents associations have, however, rallied residents to reject the gadgets saying they violate the right to the precious liquid by commencialising it.They have also said prepaid meters would result in segregation against the marginalised as well as disease outbreaks in poor communities.Ndlovu, however, said council would forge ahead with the pre-paid water meter project despite resistance from residents.In 2014, Bulawayo City Council was forced to abandon a similar project following protests from residents.Resident and civic groups argued that prepaid water meters will lead to the privatisation of water, segregation against the poor and result in disease outbreaks in poor communities.In 2021, residents of Umzingwane’s sprawling Habane township in Matabeleland South province also rejected plans by the Zimbabwe National Water Authority to install prepaid water meters in the area.
