Byo residents to be charged for getting water from neighbours

BULAWAYO residents who get water from others during the water shedding period will be billed for those supplies, the Chronicle reported.
This comes amid revelations that trapped air in pipes can also push meter readings beyond rationing limits. Residents had expressed concern that after council reduced water rationing limits by 50 litres per day in residential areas, they would receive unaffordable water bills if they gave water to people affected by shedding or pipe bursts.
Others had complained that air tended to spin water meters when supplies were restored after cuts, thereby increasing their bills.
According to the latest council report, Good Samaritans should record the amount of water and the names of the residents so that council bills the recipients.
The report shows that when water shedding was adopted in 2007, some properties continued to lack water even after supplies had been restored to their areas.
The affected residents reportedly turned to neighbouring suburbs who in turn suffered heavy penalties when they exceeded their daily allocation of water.
"Council allowed consumers to give water to their neighbours on condition that they kept a record of the names, account numbers, signatures and how many containers each collected. The local councillor would concur with the record by signing it," reads the report.
The report shows that on presenting the information at council offices, the penalties incurred would be reversed and the excess consumption adjusted on the basis of the amount of water given out to the neighbours as per the record.
The neighbours would then be charged for the amount of water they collected.
Residents are advised in the report, to turn off water at the meter to avoid having air run up their bills.
"Air does spin the water meters and this has an impact on the consumption to be billed. It is advisable to turn off the main stop cock," reads the report.
It is explained in the report that when water is turned off during water shedding, air trapped in pipelines escaped through the consumer's water system or council hydrants.
"Consumers leave taps on by error or design and air escapes through these. Air also escapes through empty toilet cisterns or geysers," the report reads.The local authority urged consumers to keep their taps shut as a lot of purified water was lost when supplies were restored and there was no one around to turn the taps off.
Meanwhile, the Bulawayo City Council warned residents not to consume the reddish-brown coloured or muddy water that comes out of taps after water shedding.
It encouraged them to use it for gardening purposes, instead of letting it run down the drain as they would still be billed for it.
A report on water shedding shows that the reddish-brown colour was caused by rusting of pipes and accumulation of sludge in the system due to low water levels at reservoirs.
The muddy water was attributed to soil that entered the system during pipe bursts.
Residents were urged to boil smelly or tasty water before use.
"Substances produced by algae (tiny water plants) in water usually cause earthy, musty or fishy smell or taste. The water should be boiled before consumption. Inform the city's Engineering Services Department on (09) 242897," reads the report.
According to the report, there is nothing wrong with white or milky water coming out of taps.
"White water is harmless and should just be allowed to clear. It is caused by accumulation of air in the empty or partially filled pipelines. The air dissolves in water under pressure giving milky or white water when the tap is opened and normally clears out from the bottom up," it reads.
Last week council embarked on a water shedding schedule in which residential areas would be without water for 24 hours a day, twice every week, as it intensified efforts to prolong the water in the city's supply dams until the next rainy season.
Residents in the eastern suburbs should now use no more than 350 litres per day, while those in the western suburbs will now be allowed to use 300 litres and cottages should not exceed 200 litres everyday, according to the tightened water rationing regime.