Pre-paid Water Metering: Social Experiences and Lessons Learned from Klipheuwel Pilot Project, South Africa

Pre-paid water metering pilot project was implemented in Klipheuwel, Cape Town, South Africa in 2001. It was anticipated that the implementation of pre-paid water meters would help improve the management of water service delivery in the Cape Metropolitan Area. However, just four years after its implementation the project has collapsed. This study investigated the social factors that contributed to the failure of the pre-paid water metering pilot project in Klipheuwel. In particular, it examined water users? experiences and attitude toward pre-paid water meters. It also examined community perceptions of the project with regard to the administration of free basic water; the promotion of paying for water services; and the promotion of a water conserving behaviour. The study findings suggested that the project was not abandoned because the community disliked pre-paid water meters. In addition, that it is inadequate to base the abandonment of the pilot project on its failure to achieve some of its anticipated water management potentials.