Water bills are about to hit every home across Zimbabwe as the government rolls out prepaid meters. Free water taps will become history when new payment systems arrive over the next few weeks. Harare residents face the first wave of installations starting with crowded neighborhoods like Chitungwiza and Norton. The capital city will receive 320,000 new meters as part of a massive 600,000-unit project covering major urban areas. Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe says workers have already started setting up equipment at installation sites.
Private companies will take control of the entire water system from treatment plants to household taps. Hangzhou Liaison Technology Company and Helcraw Electrical signed deals with Harare officials to manage everything from billing to sewage treatment. The Build Operate Transfer arrangement puts foreign investors behind the controls of Zimbabwe's urban water supply. Bulawayo, Gweru, Mutare and Victoria Falls will share the remaining meters after Harare gets its allocation. Dense residential areas will see the first installations before the program moves to other neighborhoods.
Government officials have pushed this prepaid meter idea for more than ten years without success. Public anger and bureaucratic delays kept blocking the project until recent contract signings cleared the way forward. Harare will also get a brand new water treatment facility as part of the privatization package. The meter rollout represents a complete overhaul of how Zimbabweans access and pay for water services.
Private companies will take control of the entire water system from treatment plants to household taps. Hangzhou Liaison Technology Company and Helcraw Electrical signed deals with Harare officials to manage everything from billing to sewage treatment. The Build Operate Transfer arrangement puts foreign investors behind the controls of Zimbabwe's urban water supply. Bulawayo, Gweru, Mutare and Victoria Falls will share the remaining meters after Harare gets its allocation. Dense residential areas will see the first installations before the program moves to other neighborhoods.
Government officials have pushed this prepaid meter idea for more than ten years without success. Public anger and bureaucratic delays kept blocking the project until recent contract signings cleared the way forward. Harare will also get a brand new water treatment facility as part of the privatization package. The meter rollout represents a complete overhaul of how Zimbabweans access and pay for water services.
