New water billing technology introduced in the market to curb revenue loss

County water service companies have been encouraged to use the new billing technology introduced into the market by Davis & Shirtliff Company for water billing and revenue collection.
The ‘ATM’ water technology is an Aqtap from Grundfos that aims to address challenges of unreliable water supply for low-income communities by enabling revenue generation and collection for providers while allowing full transparency and accountability for consumers.
According to Davis and Shirtliff Chief Executive Officer, Mr. David Gatende, the system will allow customers to purchase water credits from the vendor or via mobile money.
He said purchasers’ will have their water stored on water cards that are used to dispense water at  Aqtap dispenser unit at a preset rate.
“Water companies lose up to 40 percent of water revenue through unattended leakages and non-payment of bills by customers due to inefficiency in revenue collection,” said Gatende.
In a press statement sent to newsrooms, the CEO added that most companies were also unable to keep up with demand from an increasing urban population and the informal settlements that exert extra pressure on the existing infrastructure.
“Systematic challenges have made it very difficult for the counties to monitor each water point in the service provider’s network. Some of the useful reports that can be generated by such a system include consumption of water over time as well as consumption patterns,” he added.
The CEO also attributed the lack of sufficient water to the postpaid billing systems of water meters that have been widely used across the country.
The new technology comprises of a water management system that collects, processes and publishes data from transactions and operations.
Davis & Shirtliff Group founded in 1946 supplies water and energy equipment in the East African region.
By Bernadette Khaduli