Kampala — NATIONAL Water and Sewerage Corporation (NW&SC) is to introduce a pre-paid metering system to address water needs of the urban poor and curb the increasing number of unscrupulous water dealers.

The managing director, Dr. William Muhairwe, told MPs on the natural resources committee that the corporation would spend over 3m euros (sh7b) on the project.

Muhairwe said a pilot study project would start in Kisenyi, a city suburb, by the end of this year.

"With the new system, poor people in urban centres will be able to get water cheaply using cards or coins. We have discovered that although water is a utility, its prices differ in different urban centres. In other centres, it goes up to sh1,000 a jerrycan. Many poor people can not afford that," he said.

Muhairwe said due to increasing debt arrears, by December, customers will pay bills at banks.