Zimpapers Logo

Luthando Mapepa Chipinge Correspondent
CHIPINGE Town Council is mulling introducing the geographic information system (GIS) to help flush out illegal water connections that are prejudicing the town of potential revenue in rates.

Speaking during a budget consultative meeting last week, the town’s treasurer Mr James Mutemera said illegal water connections remained a major problem affecting the smooth flow of water in the town.

He said GIS would be installed any time this year.

“Between 2006 and 2010 when ZINWA took over water operations, there were a lot of illegal water connections,” he said.

“Council is still studying some of these alongside new ones.

“This is giving council a variance in the water network in some high-density suburbs in terms of what is on paper and what is on the ground.”

Mr Mutemera said GIS would locate the unknown gate valves put during the ZINWA era.

“The use of undocumented gate valves put mostly during the ZINWA period has blocked some areas from receiving water,” he said.

“At present, no one is aware of them because of the absence of a network map and institutional memory.”

Mr Mutemera revealed that water problems in Chipinge town were also caused by high volumes of non-revenue water leakages.

“Non-metered properties, leaking domestic taps, use of horse pipes and jojo tanks are also ripping council of the little revenue it could be generating,” he said.

“The installation of prepaid water meters had stopped after the company which was awarded the tender to install had complained about foreign currency shortages.

“So far they have only installed around 900 meters against 2 000 meters which we agreed for the pilot project. The company came to us again, but had hiked the price of the prepaid water meters to US$300, which residents rejected as too exorbitant.”

Council said it dropped the installation of pre-paid water meters because of shortage of foreign currency.