This announcement follows reports from residents in various parts of Kigali City who told RBA that they have been waiting for a long time for these meters, but their hopes have faded.
One resident said, "We’ve been waiting for about four months since the water was installed in February, but we were told that the meters were out of stock. As people who travel outside, we know that many shops have meters, so I don’t understand why it’s difficult to get them since we requested them. Water is available, and among the issues we face here in Gasogi, water is the main one."
This resident pointed out that a jerrycan of water is being sold for between 300 Frw and 400 Frw, which is a significant burden for low-income residents.
Another resident added, "We wrote and requested meters, but to this day, we haven’t received them, even though the public taps are full, and water is in the pipes. This has affected us because now we fetch water from places called ‘nangimikoma,’ and it takes a strong person to go there because it involves jumping over ditches."
Another said, "Our main problem is water. We have been without it for many years, yet there are pipes with water here. Every day, they break, and water goes to waste, but no one has explained to us the water issue clearly or why they don’t open the taps to give us water."
He continued to say that WASAC should not lack meters when needed, suggesting that the claim of a shortage is just an excuse.
"This is their job; they are responsible for providing water to the public. Even if meters are out of stock, they may be unavailable for one month but not for two months."
WASAC’s Director General, Prof. Munyaneza Omar, explained that the delay in providing water meters was due to the contractor who was supposed to import them.
"The contractor who was supposed to deliver them had delays of about three months due to issues at the ports through which they were to pass. The good news is that they arrived in Rwanda last week, and we took them to RSB for inspection."
He added, "Today, we have started transporting them to the districts, and we assure the public that starting this Monday, they will begin receiving them."
He noted that currently, there are over seven thousand people who had requested water meters but had not yet received them.
Currently, in Rwanda, 82.3% of the population has access to clean water, up from 72% in 2014.
WASAC emphasizes that the goal of providing clean water to everyone will be achieved at a rate of 100% within the next five years.
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