This study aims to reduce Non-revenue water (NRW) in the municipality of
Keetmanshoop, Namibia. The main objectives of this thesis are to implement the water
loss management plan in Keetmanshoop, and research the impacts of prepaid water meters
on water tariffs and unpaid water bills in other municipalities in Namibia.
NRW consists mostly of leaks in the water distribution system, overflows from water
reservoirs, metering errors, water thefts and illegal connections. This research aims to
reduce those losses by water distribution network management, improving water finances,
locating leaks and repairing them and gathering other information to help solve
these issues.
On the other hand, unpaid bills are a significant problem in the municipality of
Keetmanshoop, and this thesis includes research on prepaid water meters in other Namibian
municipalities. Prepaid water meters are one solution to increase income in water
sector by forcing users to pay their water use beforehand and thus reducing the need
for tariff increase. This research aims to answer the question if prepaid water meters
could be the solution for Keetmanshoop water sector.
The thesis is divided into two sections. The first section focuses on prepaid water meters
and the other section describes the case in Keetmanshoop and discusses the current issues
in the municipality.
Methods used in this project included literature survey, semi-structured interviews, observation
and analysis on the water distribution system. The research included field
work in Keetmanshoop between June 24th and August 23rd, 2013. The theory part of the
thesis describes the factors affecting Non-revenue water and the methods used to reduce
it.
The results of this study reveal that non-revenue water in Keetmanshoop is around 33%
(July 2012 - June 2013). The results of this thesis also show that prepaid water meters
have not been sufficient enough for the other municipalities that were studied. Because
of this, the prepaid water meter system is not recommended for Keetmanshoop.
As a conclusion new suggestions for the water sector improvement plan are presented
for Keetmanshoop. Based on the studies on the prepaid water meters the effects of them
are discussed in monetary and other terms.