Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Times News
Published on 2024-03-06 07:27:31
Blantyre Water Board (BWB) has recently revealed that it has suffered a loss of approximately K8.8 billion, which it could have generated from its customers, due to the faulty prepaid meters that the board began installing around 2017. This revelation comes after BWB announced the recall of these prepaid meters from its customers, attributing the decision to significant design flaws.
In a Times Radio Kulinji Programme, BWB’s Director of Distribution and Commerce, Verson Kafodya, described the meter problem as a factory fault. He explained that a detailed study conducted by the board revealed that the decline in sales was a result of factory faults in the prepaid meters. Out of the 31,000 prepaid meters installed, 7,652 were found to be faulty, leading to a loss of about 4.3 billion litres of water.
Kafodya mentioned that the process of recalling the faulty meters is ongoing and is expected to be completed by the end of the month. He also stated that after the meters are withdrawn, they will be studied, and if necessary, new meters will be imported to replace them.
BWB’s Chief Executive Officer, Robert Hanjahanja, clarified that the board does not intend to revert to post-paid meters. Hanjahanja explained that the faulty prepaid meters were causing discrepancies in billing, undercharging, and overcharging consumers. For example, when a customer purchased a token of water worth K5,000, the meter was supposed to stop dispensing water after that amount was consumed. However, in many cases, the meter continued dispensing water beyond the prepaid amount, resulting in inflated bills for consumers.
Consumers Association of Malawi Executive Director, John Kapito, expressed disappointment in the situation, stating that they had received numerous complaints from customers regarding the faulty prepaid meters. Kapito noted that the introduction of prepaid meters initially had benefits for both consumers and BWB, as it allowed customers to plan based on the purchased water volume while maximizing revenue for the company. The prepaid system also helped address consumer complaints about high and unreasonable bills. However, with the recall of the faulty meters, Kapito lamented that they were regressing to the issues faced before the introduction of prepaid meters.
BWB, which serves over 80,000 customers, had introduced the prepaid system eight years ago to improve revenue collection and address consumer complaints about high bills. The board now faces the challenge of replacing the faulty meters to ensure accurate billing and reliable water supply for its customers. As they navigate this issue, BWB remains committed to providing quality service to its customers while rectifying the shortcomings in their prepaid meter system.
Read the original article on The Times
