Lebanese Ministry of Information
Smart water meters will be installed free of charge in Beirut to help improve water services and reduce wastage, Director General of the Beirut and Mount Lebanon Water Establishment Jean Gebran said in a statement Tuesday.
“The installation of the meters and their protective boxes will not involve any [extra] fees for subscribers,” Gebran clarified.
The old meters do not record the actual amount of water consumed monthly. Instead, subscribers pay a fixed monthly fee. Since the service is already paid for, regardless of usage, customers are not incentivised to reduce their water consumption.
The new smart meters will be able to track the exact amount of water used, enabling subscribers to only pay for the amount consumed. It will also limit violations previously possible by illegal meter alterations.
The project will additionally provide EBML with new insight on the disparity between the estimated and actual water use of their subscribers.
Installations have already been completed in Beirut’s Saifi, Medawar and Port areas, as well as a part of Rmeil. Gebran said that 2018 data from the meters will now be used to issue invoices to subscribers in the region.
Gebran additionally stressed on the importance of adhering to EBML’s water consumption guidelines for waste reduction.
