Harare Installs 18,000 Smart Water Meters, Saves Millions

Harare residents are finally saying goodbye to unfair water bills and hello to a system where they only pay for what they actually use.

The City of Harare has installed over 18,000 smart prepaid water meters across neighborhoods like Belvedere, Westlea, Mabelreign, and Warren Park as of March 2026. The transformation comes as the city battles a staggering problem: 60% of its treated water disappears before reaching homes, costing millions of dollars in lost revenue every month.

The new meters work like prepaid electricity, letting families top up their water credit and track exactly how much they consume. No more surprise bills based on guesswork. No more arguments with the water company about estimates that never seemed right.

Residents have embraced the change enthusiastically. Families report the fairness of paying only for their actual consumption, and many say it's helped them become more mindful about water usage without sacrificing their needs.

Mayor Jacob Mafume is leading the charge with Helcraw Electrical as the implementation partner. About 60,000 additional meters recently arrived in the country, ready to speed up installations across more neighborhoods.

But the city isn't stopping at smart meters. Workers are replacing roughly 500 kilometers of crumbling asbestos cement pipes with modern PVC piping to plug the leaks draining the system. Meanwhile, the Morton Jaffray Water Treatment Works, Harare's main facility, is getting upgrades to boost capacity and meet growing demand.

The Ripple Effect

The impact reaches far beyond better billing. Accurate consumption data helps city planners understand real demand patterns and manage supply more effectively. The revenue boost means more money for maintaining infrastructure instead of watching treated water vanish into the ground.

Perhaps most exciting, Harare plans to locally manufacture over 300,000 meters. This move creates jobs, builds technical expertise, and makes the entire program more sustainable and affordable long term.

The ultimate goal is ambitious: 320,000 smart meters citywide, rolled out in phases to eventually cover the entire capital. City officials see this as essential infrastructure for a growing urban population that deserves reliable water access and transparent pricing.

For a city wrestling with the challenges of aging systems and urban growth, technology and smart planning are turning the tide one meter at a time.