SAMIA CALL ON PREPAID WATER BILLING TIMELY

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Mwananchi Communications Limited

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However, there is a ray of hope that inflated bills will come to an end following President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s call for the installation of prepaid water meters
A prepaid water billing system is the way to go

Monthly water billing has been a problem in Tanzania for as along as one can remember, leading to a barrage of complaints from customers across the country.
Certainly, conventional water metering has largely been unreliable and inaccurate, thus being a source of disputes and disquiet among customers.
However, there is a ray of hope that inflated bills will come to an end following President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s call for the installation of prepaid water meters.
The President made the call during the launch of the Water App and Unified Billing System (UBS) when she graced the conclusion of World Water Week 2022 earlier in the week.
The UBS is aimed at addressing challenges related to water billing. However, it is doubtful that it will end billing complaints once and for all.
In that regard, the way to go is to fully adopt digital technology, which will enable the prepaid system to work.
Tanesco, the country’s power utility, has by and large managed to solve billing complaints after the prepaid electricity system (Luku) was adopted back in the 1990s.
Without doubt, prepaid water billing is possible even though it would be a complex exercise that is likely to cost a lot of money.
Hopefully, the new system will help increase revenue for the utility because many unscrupulous meter readers will automatically be sidelined.
It is not bad idea to take a leaf out of South Africa’s book. The country has a well managed prepayment water metering system, which has cut the number of customers complaining about high bills. Besides, prepaid water billing allows the consumer to have visibility of exactly how much water is being used and help households to budget accordingly.
Technology is rapidly changing and simplifying many things that needed more human resources and time.
Those times have gone, so it is up to the ministry and water utility to start working on President Hassan’s call.
A prepaid water billing system is the way to go.