In Lesotho, South Africa and many other African countries, devices that restrict consumers to only use water that they have paid for in advance are being promoted as a way to fund better water infrastructure. A problematic approach, church water experts warn, as it endangers the poorest of the poor's access to this indispensable necessity of life.

Pre-paid water meters work very much like pre-paid cell phones. People buy a card with a credit corresponding to a certain amount of water. When the card is inserted into a machine - either a household's water meter or at a public fountain - water can be tapped until the card is empty. Whereas cell phones usually enable the owner to call emergency numbers even when the credit is used up, the pre-paid water meters, however, cannot take into account how urgent a person's need for water is.

Michael Windfuhr, human rights director of the evangelical German agency Bread for the World, and member of the Ecumenical Water Network steering group says: "The pre-paid water meters are highly problematic. If you run out of money, and the card is empty, you cannot afford water for basic needs. This is a violation of the human right to water. It should be impossible to be disconnected from water, since it is a basic need for every human being."

Water saving at the expense of the poor

With the old system, where people paid bills after using the water, they could not be cut off from the water without a warning, Windfuhr explains. Now they can suddenly find themselves without safe drinking water supply and be forced to use possibly unhealthy water sources.

Windfuhr also argues that most problems regarding water are due to policy, and not an issue of scarcity. "In very dry countries, you can still see irrigated golf courses. In Burkina Faso, some people daily use 250 to 400 litres of water, while other people do not have the 50 litres they need a day. In areas with real scarcity it is nonetheless important to supply people with water."

The example of pre-paid water supply in Johannesburg, South Africa demonstrates the danger of discrimination against the poor, according to Molefi Ndlovu of the Centre for Civil Society in Durban.

"The pre-paid water meters are installed in order to save water. Still the pre-paid water meters only apply to the poor black communities, and not to the hedonistic suburban communities where water is wasted," he says.

The poor communities are desperate. Ndlovu tells of stories of resistance against these meters under the slogan "Destroy the meters, enjoy the water". Citizens who resort to such measures risk fines and imprisonment.

Others have seized the courts to stop the new pre-paid system. The Johannesburg high court has ruled recently that the current situation is unconstitutional. It declared that people should be able to chose between prepaid and normal meters, and that free amount of water provided in South Africa was insufficient.

The voice of the churches

Pre-paid water supply systems were one of the main topics discussed during a conference of the Ecumenical Water Network in Maseru, the capitol of Lesotho, in April. Water professionals from around Africa are currently looking to the mountain kingdom because the pre-paid water meters recently installed in public places by Maseru's water company are seen as a model by the industry.

Churches contribute to the provision of water throughout the world. The Ecumenical Water Network now calls on churches to get involved in advocacy work for the human right to water.

Dr Asa Elfstrom, Church of Sweden's senior advisor for water and development and a member of the network's steering group explains: "The church has a history of supporting the poorest and most marginalised people. The people without access to water do not have a strong voice. The church is highly regarded in most countries, and if it raises its voice, it could make governments change their policy."

The Ecumenical Water Network is an initiative of churches, Christian organisations and movements working on people's access to water around the world and community-based solutions to the water crisis. Its objective is to bring forward a common Christian witness in the debate on water issues. The World Council of Churches hosts the network's secretariat and helps to facilitate cooperation among the partners involved.

The conference "Let justice roll like rivers" was hosted by the Christian Council of Lesotho and the local advocacy group Pelum.