Isabel Bento 

OMARURU – Some residents of Omaruru have criticised the council’s decision to install smart prepaid water meters, noting that they cause more harm than good.

The residents stated that the council has not properly explained to them how the new meters work, while others feel they are being robbed of their hard-earned money.

“Before the meters were installed, they held a meeting to inform us. We asked so many questions which were barely answered, but they still proceeded to install the meters. We do not understand how these things work, and we are constantly finding ourselves paying for water which we barely use, as it finishes very quickly. We need council to handle this situation soon,” Jolanda Gawanas told Nampa.

The municipality admitted the oversight, adding that there has indeed been a lot of confusion among the residents, as proper consultations were not conducted in the beginning.

The installation of the meters is aimed at streamlining the billing process, and enhancing revenue- collection for the council.

Omaruru mayor Vincent Kahua told Nampa that the initial phase of the smart prepaid meter roll-out, introduced in 2023, faced significant hurdles as the council did not consult the community adequately, or provide the necessary training on the new system.

“The very first challenge was that the community was not consulted by the council, and the community was not informed on how these meters operate. However, these issues were addressed within a few months through community engagement and education initiatives. Despite these efforts, technical complications with the meters persisted,” he noted.

Kahua said the meters did not clearly indicate how much water residents were purchasing, or the deductions made for taxes and basic services.

He added that to address these concerns, the council is now working to provide more detailed information to residents about the deductions and how the meters function.

“Our community must know how much they pay for waste, basic services, and the fire brigade. We need to give more information and education so that residents can understand their bills better,” the mayor stressed.

-Nampa