A UK based RSKeWATERservices has won a tender to install 650 solar powered eWaterPay water meters across two districts – Dodoma and Singida – in Tanzania.

RSKeWATERservices will 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 over 260 million litres of affordable, accessible clean water to rural communities.

The technology success is as a result of deep mobile penetration across Africa, as mPesa helped the unbanked, eWATER seeks to help communities without affordable access to clean water. 

RSKeWATERservices is a joint venture between the leading integrated environmental, engineering and technical services business, RSK, and eWATERServices, the company behind the eWaterPay system.

The eWATERpay comprises a solar-powered tap that is connected to a digital wallet that is situated within a village community.

The revenue collected is used to cover the costs of accessing clean water that is then used to operate and maintain the systems over time.

The device successfully addresses the twin challenges of water infrastructure maintenance and availability by offering round the clock access to water for users, unlike in the past when a borehole may have only had personnel at it for specific time periods.  

eWATER technology has come in handy, as in sub-Saharan Africa about 40% of the population lacks safe drinking water, while within ten years, the global demand for water is expected to grow by 50%.

Director of Projects and Public Affairs of eWATERservices, Nick Leason said water shortage is a big challenge in Africa, saying: “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.”

He was concerned with how the water issue in Tanzania was so bad, with an estimated 86,000 rural water systems in the country, which translate to over 40% are unserviceable, leading to thousands of rural communities who live a hand to mouth existence, having to travel large distances every day to collect water.

Mr Leason adds: “This means that children are unable to attend school, the water has to be boiled leading to further deforestation and is a source of disease for many.”

The Tanzanian government in an effort has launched the Accelerating Solar Water Pumping via Innovative Financing (ASWPTIF) project to address the challenge.

A project being managed by the Government through its TIB Development Bank with funding from the World Bank. However, 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.

Tanzanians’ water crisis is coupled with 45% of water supply line being damaged after every two years, due to lack of maintenance and other economic factors.  

“It’s important to find a solution that helps maintain the water infrastructure. eWATERpay helps 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,” he said.

A recent study by the World Bank 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, yet countries need to build up their operational capacities and use both public and private utilities to meet the demand for sufficient volumes of quality water. 

It is important that with Africa’s rapid growth in mobile use, and with 93% of Africans having access to a mobile phone, the technology becomes a tool for easy access to safe drinking water. 

Moreover, the cost of water is affordable to even the poorest communities with a 1000 litres of water costing just 1 USD – or 5c for a 20-litre bucket. In Africa, mobile technology which revolutionised the banking sector could do the same for water shortage

By Dede Akutu Adimer