Prepaid meters leave Opuwo drowning in double bills

Opuwo’s residents are accusing the town council of double-charging them for water.

Water supply at the town is currently on a prepaid system.

This situation has left many confused upon receiving their monthly water bills. The town council installed smart prepaid water meters in June 2023.

Community activist Ben Kapi says the prepaid water system operates automatically and once payments are made, the system loads credit directly onto the meter.

“I don’t understand why the municipality meter readers continue to visit homes and record readings from the meter machines when the machine is automatic,” he says.

Kapi says some residents shut off their water supply at night and only turn it back on the following morning, yet their meters continue running during these hours.

“This system is not good, we prefer meters with cards,” he says.

The Opuwo Town Council in June 2023 issued a public notice on the installation of smart prepaid water meters.

The residents of Otuzemba, Schneider Houses, and Onduunjee areas attended a meeting during which the town council explained how the system works.

Kapi says the meeting focused on the benefits of the system only.

“They are like insurance people who promise you a lot of things, but when you want to claim money, there are a lot of complications and a delayed process,” the activist says. He is demanding that the town council hold a meeting to hear residents’ complaints.

Two water bills of residents, which The Namibian has seen, show that the municipality has billed them for water consumption, as well as ‘water basics’.

One bill shows a charge of N$542 for water and another N$62.

Both properties have further been charged N$66 each for ‘water basics’.

There is, however, a difference in the sewerage charge, as one resident was charged N$196 and the other N$81.

The residents express frustration at the lack of transparency and urge the municipality to clearly explain the billing process.

They are also concerned over ongoing water shortages at the town, noting that pipes are damaged and residents sometimes go without water.

The Namibian has reached out to the municipality of Opuwo for comment, but has received none by the time of going to print.

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