• admin
• Herald
• July 27, 2012
• 52 views

Declare water woes national disaster: Govt urged

Michael Chideme and Paidamoyo Chipunza
Government must declare water problems in cities and towns a national disaster following the outbreak of typhoid this week, an official has said.
Director of Epidemiology and Disease Control in the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, Dr Portia Manangazira, said the declaration would help mobilise resources.
Her comments come as 30 more people in Harare and 26 others in Chitungwiza were affected by typhoid yesterday.

This brings to more than 220 the people affected by typhoid in the two municipalities since the beginning of the week.
Dr Manangazira said all local authorities were unable to provide enough water to residents.

A recent study by the national typhoid capacity assessment concluded that no council is providing more than 60 percent of potable water requirements.
“Most of the water treatment plants are old and in need of replacement,” said Dr Manangazira.

“Declaring the water situation a national crisis will assist in mobilising funding for upgrading the water and sewer plants.”
Dr Manangazira said Government was failing to force local authorities to provide water and sewer  delivery mandate as espoused by the Public Health          Act because the State was aware of the funding constraints.

She said every household should use aqua tablets and any other form of chlorification and exercise strict hygiene and always wash hands after use of the toilet and before consuming food.
At least 43 sewer treatment plants across the country have collapsed, resulting in raw sewer finding its way into water catchments.

• admin
• Herald
• July 27, 2012
• 98 views

Zimbabwe — When Caliban becomes a hero

The beauty about running a muscular column is that oftentimes you sting your opponents into an ungainly self-display. My bad friend Muckraker did just that this week. Stung by my exposé on duplicitous post-colonial white thinking, Muckraker warned The Herald against carrying such critical opinion on the white establishment.  
The consequences are enormous, Muckraker helpfully intoned. “Oh bow-wow. So, if you are not a sharer (in the racialised Rhodesian economy), you will understand if a growing number of people who are sick of the racist posturing emanating from Manheru don’t want to place their