AfricaPress-Tanzania: WEIGH Measures Agency (WMA) will start assessing electrical metres before they are installed in houses in a move to protect end-users and make sure they pay the right bills.
WMA Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ludovick Manege said yesterday during the tour of Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Prof Riziki Shemdoe that the assessment will start this October.
“We have witnessed huge budget in water and electricity projects, and as the country moves towards gas projects, we as WMA have to organize ourselves to ensure citizens pay the right bills,” he said.
Prof Shemdoe visited the Misugusugu centre, Kibaha in Coast region which is used by WMA to asses water metres and fuel trucks to make sure the right measurement is adhered to in the cargo they transport in and outside the country.
The WMA CEO said a German contractor has assured them that they will bring the machines by October, and they will be used to asses electric metres and start operations immediately.
He said the machines cost 600m/-, and at the moment they are busy with construction of the building where they will install the machines when they arrive in Dar es Salaam within three months.
“We expect the machines to start operations as soon as possible to make sure end users get the right units and pay the right bills,” said Dr Manege.
Either, he said apart from assessing water and electric metres, plans are underway where WMA will start assessing gas metres with the same intention of protecting end users.
Prof Shemdoe said he has witnessed the professional work being done at Misugusugu centre to ensure end users are protected from theft caused by defaulted metres.
He said the assessment of metres is not done by WMA for free, since owners must pay 10,000/- for each metre that enters the country, something which has helped the government to collect more revenue from fees.
“I call upon [WMA] to make sure they fasten the process so that Tanesco can join others in bringing their metres here for assessment,” Prof Shemdoe said.
He also directed WMA to establish a procurement process to buy machines that will be used to asses gas metres in a move to protect end users.
“WMA must collaborate with Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) to ensure the procurement process of these machines is done as soon as possible and the assessment of gas metres starts to protect our community,” he said.
