Investigation into the Improvement of Payment for Water Services within a Peri-Urban Area in eThekwini

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Investigation into the Improvement of Payment for Water Services

within a Peri-Urban Area in eThekwini

2015 to 2017

Project description

The customers' water arrears keep increasing at an exponential rate due to non-payment. The objective of the study is to understand the problem of non-payment through the available water billing data and investigate previous interventions used to mitigate the problem. The study also aims to use simple 'nudging' to encourage payment for water services by altering non-price variables. The theoretical approach is to use statistical analysis to draw out meaningful trends about water consumption and payment for water services through historical billing data. The study is needed because millions of Rand are owed to the utility - money that could be used to improve service or maintain distribution pipes, so cost recovery is important to providing sustainable water services. The realization of a national drought water conservation is absolutely necessary to ensure sustainable water supply to all customers.

This research aims to answer the following questions:

Are customers satisfied about their water service?
How effective is the Debt Relief Programme and flow limiters in mitigating non-payment for water services?
How can analyzing the water billing data help understand the problem of non-payment in this community?
From gaining further understanding of the problem, then what suitable interventions could be developed to significantly improve payment for water services?
Mehlomakhulu K, Buckley C and Macleod N. An investigation into improving the payment for water within the Siyanda area of eThekwini. Presented at WISA, Durban, 15th to 17th May 2016