Shanty compound upgrading welcomed
By LINDA SOKO TEMBO PLANS to phase out paper water bills in Lusaka has reached an advanced stage with more than 13,000 residents registering with Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company (LWSC).
LWSC marketing and public relations manager Patson Phiri, said that the residents had responded well and were with the utility company for them to receive bills via SMS or emails.
He said the exercise which begun last month had yielded positive results and that their target as a company was to register about 100,000 people by next month.
In an interview with the Daily Nation, Mr. Phiri explained that the first set of bills that had been send through emails and SMSs to 13,000 residents this December had all cleared their bills because it was convenient for them.
“The first set of bills we sent for the month of December were done through emails and text messages and all of them have settled their accounts,” he said.
Mr. Phiri said there was no excuse for people not to register because it was a very easy and convenient way for them to be receive and pay their bills, adding that those who were in the habit of shifting from one house to other should continue informing the utility every time they moved.
He explained that the utility company had come up with other modes of payments to reduce on the burden of their clients visiting pay points all the time such as banks and mobile money services.
“Once people register they will start receiving bills by phone or emails. We have made it possible for our clients to make payments using Airtel money, MTN money, visa cards.
“Instead of driving long distances to make payments we are encouraging them to continue registering so that they can save the cost of time and moving just for their bills,” he said. By MUYANI SHINJABALE THE Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) has welcomed government’s intention to upgrade shanty compounds.
CSPR Executive Director Patrick Nshindano said the move by government was long overdue and should be done with utmost urgency as most of those areas lacked the basic amenities necessary for healthy living.
Mr. Nshindano noted that the majority of the residents were poor and vulnerable and did not have the means to access pay services to allow them access quality essential services such as health and education.
Speaking in an interview with the Daily Nation, he said it was a well-known fact that most of the shanty areas densely populated with limited social amenities such as water & sanitation services, education, and health including proper housing.
“This is not only a violation of human rights but also a danger in terms of the wellbeing of the people living in these areas.
“Every year the country experiences cases of cholera mainly driven by the limited availability of water and sanitation services which leads to a high cost for the country in terms of treating these outbreaks.
“Upgrading the shanty compounds will not only give a chance to the poor and vulnerable to have access to descent housing but also prevent disease outbreaks,” Mr. Nshindano noted.
Mr. Nshindano explained that it would be in the nation’s best interests to ensure that as government upgrades shanty compounds, it should also prevent the mushrooming or growth of those compounds through strict town planning mechanism and preventing lawlessness through illegal settlements and allocation of land.