Smart cards to pay water bills

Residents of Kisumu are soon to get a smart card to settle their water bills. The residents will have the value of the amount they pay for water loaded into a card that they can use to access the services in their homes.

The Lake Victoria South Water Services Board intends to introduce the pre-paid smart card on a pilot basis in a bid to reduce the amount of money lost through uncollected revenue.

However, the card would only be introduced after water supply and capacity are improved and regularised, according to Mr Michael Ochieng’, the board’s chief executive officer.

The official added that this was meant to ensure that consumers got reliable service as the smart card would not only streamline the process of provision, but also contribute towards improving revenue collection.

The smart card is to be introduced under the second phase of the Sh3 billion Kisumu Water Supply and Sanitation Project funded by the French Development Agency. It is to kick off by the end of the year.

Also to be introduced under the project are computerised meters to address the problem of unaccounted for water. Presently, an estimated 60 per cent of the water that is released from the water treatment plant cannot be accounted for due to leaks and illegal connections.

Mr Ochieng’ said the project had a Sh50 million component that is aimed at addressing the unaccounted for water through reining in illegal connections.

Leak detectors

This will include installation of leak detectors and a computerised meter system. The entire catchment area will also be zoned using Google Earth maps.

“We will install zonal meters for monitoring water as it enters and leaves the zone,” he said. The Kisumu Water and Sewerage Company has in the past stated that it suffers millions of shillings in losses due to illegal connections.