New water meters introduced

JAKARTA (JP): Water company PT Kekar Thames Airindo (Kati) has begun its service improvement program by replacing defective water meters with new ones, the company said in a statement yesterday.

The replacement of water meters is mainly intended to ensure that customers receive an accurate bill and only pay for water they use, the company said.

PT Kati, a joint venture company between PT Kekarpola Airindo and Thames Water International, signed a 25-year agreement with city water company PDAM Jaya in June last year. The agreement gives PT Kati the concession to manage, operate, maintain and expand the water supply system in the eastern half of Jakarta.

The firm said that the service improvement program had started with the replacement of about 300 meters per week, a number which will gradually be raised over the next few months.

Customers will not be charged for the replacement unless the meters have been purposely damaged or interfered with, it said.

PT Kati will use 30,000 locally manufactured meters containing local component parts.

"We compared locally manufactured and international brands, but decided to use a local brand because it meets our criteria of quality and accuracy. On top of that we are happy to support the government program encouraging the use of local products," Kati's president Fachry Taib was quoted as saying. (hhr)