Abstract: The comparative study between pre and post-paid water payment system in Karatu district in Arusha region aimed to investigate the level of acceptability of pre-paid water payment system in comparison to the post-paid system, examine factors considered by water users before accepting the pre-paid system, investigate cost benefits of pre-paid system in comparison to the post-paid and determine management strategies that can promote acceptability of pre-paid water payment system. The study used the cross-sectional design. GPower statistical software was used to determine the required sample size of 124 respondents and out of whom 123 (99%) participated in the study. Semi-structured questionnaire administered through a non-probability snowballing techniques was used to collect primary data which were analyzed by using descriptive statistics through cross tabulation at 95 percent significance level (p = 0.05) and the results presented in Tables and Figures. The level of acceptability of the post-paid system in the district is 100% as compared to 88.6% acceptance level of the pre-paid system Availability of technicians to repair water meters, durability of meters, easy access to vending points, cost of installation, reliability of meters and reliability of billing report are vital factors considered by water users before accepting the pre-paid water payment system. The pre-paid system offers more cost benefits as compared to the post-paid system. Awareness education to water users on benefits of using pre-paid system, installation of durable meters, and establishment of emergence repair team and free installation of the pre-paid meters are management strategies that can promote acceptability of the pre-paid system. It is recommended that water authority in Karatu district should implement all suggested management strategies and put emphasis on educating water users on the benefits of the pre-paid water payment system. Studies on the impact of pre-paid water payment system on the revenue collection and profitability of the water authorities and another on the impact of pre-paid water payment system on water consumption rate among water users are suggested.
Keywords: Pre-paid Water Payment, Post-paid Water Payment, Management Strategies, Customers' Adoption.
Title: A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN PRE AND POSTPAID SYSTEMS IN KARATU DISTRICT, TANZANIA
Author: Wolfgang Bonaventure, Dr Gasper Mpehongwa
International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online)
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