Taking stock of trends and status of non-revenue water level and management for the City of Mutare, Zimbabwe

Globally, non-revenue water (NRW) is one of the greatest challenges affecting water service providers, especially in developing countries where it is generally above 50%. This is the case for the City of Mutare (Zimbabwe). This study assessed NRW trends for Mutare based on the Standard International Water Association Water Balance (SIWAWB) and the Modified International Water Association Water Balance (MIWAWB) methods. The MIWAWB method unlike the SIWAWB method incorporates revenue collection efficiency. Additionally, the study assessed the status of the city’s NRW management arrangements. Data were collected from the council records and supplemented by questionnaires, interviews, and documentation review. The study found that the NRW level determined by the MIWAWB was higher (26.9 × 10⁶ m³/year; 79.9% and 2244 L/connection/day) compared to the SIWAWB method (20.5 × 10⁶ m³/year; 60.6% and 1713 L/connection/day). It was established that the overall current NRW management arrangements regarding apparent losses, real losses, unbilled authorized consumption and billed but not paid for water are poor leading to the high level of NRW. The City of Mutare should review arrangements for NRW and adopt the MIWAWB method to determine the level of NRW as it reflects the true NRW for the city. Also, the City of Mutare should consider having a NRW unit under the Engineering and Technical Services Department which specifically focuses on effective NRW management. The NRW unit should, thus, be capacitated in terms of skills, financing, and appropriate tools or equipment.