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Leonorah Ncube in Victoria Falls

VICTORIA Falls City Council has begun installing prepared water meters in selected wards as part of a pilot project aimed at eliminating estimated billing and improving revenue collection.

In an interview, the town clerk, Mr Ronnie Dube, said the initiative, which has already seen 39 of the planned 50 meters installed in Ward 2, and Ward 5 is expected to enhance water management efficiency while addressing residents’ concerns over billing accuracy.

“We are rolling out a test run of 50 households so far we have installed 39 water meters in wards 2 and 5, and this is in response to concerns by the residents who were not happy with the estimated bills,” said Mr Dube.

“If the pilot project proves successful, the prepared water meter system will be expanded to the entire city.”
Mr Dube said the initiative is part of the city’s broader vision to become a smart city, integrating digital solutions for improved service delivery. The adoption of prepaid meters aligns with efforts to enhance e-governance.

Mr Dube also highlighted that the project also aims to tackle legacy debt management.
“We are also bringing in the issue of legacy debt management where we are saying a certain percentage which is yet to be approved by the council when purchasing water will go towards liquidating one’s debt and the other one buying the current water usage,” he said.

“This approach is designed to help residents gradually clear their arrears while ensuring continued access to water services.”
Following a three-month evaluation period, Victoria Falls City Council will gather feedback from residents participating in the prepaid water meter pilot project.

Victoria Falls City

As part of the initiative, each household will receive five free cubic meters of water upon installation, with an additional five cubic meters credited during the system’s configuration and testing phase.

The assessment will help determine the project’s effectiveness before a potential citywide rollout.
Satewave Technologies Private Limited is currently doing the pilot project with other two companies to join later.
The council budgeted US$250 000 for the first phase. The local authority will have the responsibility of procuring the water meters and then recovering the cost when people make purchases for their water.

“A certain portion will be deducted for their legacy debt and then the remainder will be for the water that they will be consuming at that time, but the council will stretch this over a substantial period of time so that we do not overburden our residents,” said Mr Dube.

The Satewave team provided an in-depth explanation of how the meters operate, including the recharge process.
Mr Dube said after a three-month evaluation period, they will assess the pilot project’s success and gather feedback from participating residents.

“As part of the initiative, residents will receive five free cubic meters of water upon meter installation, with an additional five cubic meters credited while the system configurations are completed and tested. Currently, 39 out of a planned 45 meters have been installed in Ward 2,” he said.

Residents raised several concerns regarding the new system, including the clearing of existing debts, the price of the meters and how they will be paid for, including battery replacement, and network issues during recharging.
This also raised questions on contingency plans for water availability in case water becomes inaccessible. Additionally, there were concerns regarding Government intentions to take over water services.

Council expressed optimism that the new prepaid water meter system will benefit the city by reducing debts and improving overall service delivery.