The company Águas da Região Metropolitana de Maputo (AdRMM) recently began the second phase of the pilot project to install pre-paid meters. By the end of December, 10,000 devices will have been installed, giving customers greater control over their consumption.

Under this project, introduced in 2015, the company hopes to massify the use of this type of meter, and reach a figure of 100,000 units installed by 2024 in all its operational areas, namely in the cities of Maputo and Matola, as well as in the district of Boane.

According to AdRMM's commercial director, Cremildo Fernando, the use of these meters has numerous advantages, especially for customers:

"This investment responds to the concerns of our customers, who now decide on their consumption. In practical terms, billing is the responsibility of the customer, not the company," he explains.

More than just controlling consumption, pre-paid meters will help reduce queues at stores to pay bills. Customers will also be able to resolve any anomalies in their installation in good time.

To use it, customers must purchase a top-up at the usual points of sale, at AdRMM stores, or via mobile wallets, as well as the Madzi platform (#876*). An application has also been developed for this purpose, called the Madzi App, available on the App Store and Playstore.

"When the refill runs out, the valve automatically cuts off the water supply. However, before this happens, the meter alerts you to the volume of water remaining," adds Cremildo Fernando.

For their operation, the meters have a long-lasting battery, estimated at six years, and their replacement is managed using a computer system.

Jossias Mondlane is an AdRMM customer and has been using the prepaid meter for about three weeks. During this time, he has seen the comparative advantages of using it:

"This meter allows us to adjust our consumption to our financial capacity. Before, with post-paid meters, we only consumed water and had no idea how much would be on the bill at the end of each month. Today, I know that I have to consume according to my capacity, not to mention that there's no longer any need to go to the store to pay the bill," he says.