The UK-based RSKeWATERservices has won a tender to install 650 solar powered eWaterPay pay as you go water meters across Dodoma and Singida districts in Tanzania
eWATERservices aims to employ a low-cost ‘pay as you go’ water system using mobile technology that is already serving 110,000 families across The Gambia, Ghana and Tanzania and have dispensed more than 260mn litres of affordable, accessible clean water to rural communities.
This comprises a solar-powered tap which is connected to a digital wallet that is situated within a village community, thus addressing the twin challenges of water infrastructure maintenance and availability by offering round the clock access to water for users.
In sub-Saharan Africa, about 40 per cent of the population lacks safe drinking water. Within ten years, the global demand for water is expected to grow by 50 per cent.
According to a World Bank study on the performance of water supply services in Africa, half of the region’s utilities do not have the revenues to cover their operation and maintenance costs.
Meeting sustainable water demand
The Tanzanian government has launched the Accelerating Solar Water Pumping viaInnovative Financing (ASWPTIF) project to address this issue. The ASWPTIF project is being led by the Government of Tanzania through their TIB Development Bank with funding from the World Bank. The RSKeWATERservices JV successfully won a tender to install just under 650 solar-powered pay as you go water meters across two districts in the country.
Nick Leason, director of projects and public affairs, eWATERservices, stated, “Many rural communities across Africa are plagued with water systems installed with good intent by global charities and NGOs but with little thought to the sustainability of these systems, meaning that when a pipe bursts or a pump fails, there are no funds, engineers or spare parts to repair them.”
In fact, 45 per cent of water supply systems tend to break after two years because there is no water economy, no professional maintenance and no money to pay for maintenance. It’s important to find a solution that helps maintain the water infrastructure. eWATERpay is se to address these challenges and ensures accessible, affordable clean water for rural communities. That, in turn, reduces the time needed to collect water daily, meaning children can attend school, it also reduces the risks of disease to these most vulnerable communities.
RSKeWATERservices is a joint venture between the leading integrated environmental, engineering and technical services business, RSK, and eWATERServices, the company behind the eWaterPay system.
