Residents of six Dili villages have begun paying for water, says State Secretary for Water, Sanitation and Urbanization Elias Pereira Moniz.
The villages are Becora, Bemori, Kampo-Alor, Fatuhada, Mascarenhas, Surik Mas and Comoro, he said.
Villages between Comoro and Tasi-Tolu will be paying by the end of August and villages from Bidau Santana and Areia Branca will follow soon after.
“Our technical teams are trying to fix the pipes that aren’t working in every neighborhood so all communities can access clean water,” SE Moniz said.
Meters will keep track of how much water households use and payments will be made at the bank.
Dili district Department of Water chief Florindo de Jesus said his department was waiting for the pipes to be fixed.
Mascarenhas resident Januario Fernandes said he was willing to pay but the system needed to work properly.
He said he was disappointed by the behavior of those in the community who purposely damaged water pipes.
