SIMBARASHE MTEMBO
MIRROR REPORTER

MASVINGO – City of Masvingo lost US$359 152 in Non-Revenue Water (NRW) in April alone, according to the local authority’s Public Works and Planning committee minutes of May 9.
The minutes were produced for confirmation during Monday’s full council meeting.
The amount has decreased from US$432 714 (45.7%) in February and US$384 135 (43%) in March.
“It was reported that the non-revenue water for April 2024 was 42.31% which translated to USD359 152.51. The report was noted,” reads part of the minutes.
NRW is the difference between the amount of water produced by a water utility for consumption/use and the amount of water that is actually billed to consumers. NRW is lost through theft and faulty infrastructure as pipe leaks, bursts and non-functional meters.
Masvingo City pumped on average 690 000 litres of water daily to the City from Bushmead Water Works. The local authority has the capacity to pump 30 million litres a month.
The city recorded 68 pipe bursts during the same period.
Acting Director Engineering Services, Engineer Kudzai Mbetu told the committee that a study was conducted to find the major causes of NRW. He said that free water supplied to residents through water bowsers contributes to high NRW.
Mbetu also noted the need for quick reaction from council when attending to pipe bursts. He added that residents should be informed on reporting channels when there is a pipe burst and illegal connections should be dealt with speedily.

SOME OF THE STUDY MAJOR FINDINGS ARE

The City has 53 boreholes, six of which are solarised
Free water to residents through water bowsers contributed to high non-revenue water
Unbilled properties are not a major contributor to high non-revenue water
A number of properties were not being billed due to stuck metres, locked gates and buried meters
Metering inaccuracies
Clovelly suburb was reticulated and water supply should be accounted for like other suburbs.