600 displaced families hit by water shortage

George Maponga at CHINGWIZI, Mwenezi
The 600 families who have been moved from Tokwe-Murkosi Dam face a health time bomb at Chingwizi holding camp in Mwenezi due to a crippling shortage of water.
The water shortage, coupled with overcrowding, has sparked fears of disease outbreak.

There are also few toilets at the holding camp, a situation that is forcing them to use the bush to relieve themselves.

The families said the shortage of water at the camp was forcing them to walk several kilometres to fetch unclean water from canals that supply the nearby cane plantations at Triangle Sugar Estates.

When The Herald visited Chingwizi holding camp yesterday long queues could be seen at the few plastic water tanks which supply the camp.

Some people said they woke up as early at 4am to queue for water, but still failed to get it.

“There is a very severe water shortage here, although the few tanks are filled everyday the water is still not enough,” said Ms Melisa Ndlovu, who was relocated from Nungirai village in Nemauzhe, Chivi.

Mrs Linia Mandizvidza said she had not taken a bath for sometime because of the shortage of water.

“The conditions here are not good,” she said. “We are too overcrowded and this is very unhealthy. There are few toilets that were dug are now almost full, yet the number of people coming to stay continues to go up.”

The families appealed to Government to speedily drill boreholes and improve water supplies to avert outbreak of diseases.

Two boreholes are being drilled at the camp, but they are not yet functional.

Civil Protection Unit director Mr Madzudzo Pawadyira conceded there was a shortage of water at Chingwizi.

“There are problems with water, but we are working flat out to make sure the boreholes that we have drilled are operational as soon as possible and we hope that will ease the shortage,” he said.

“We are also trying to supply water to the families using plastic tanks here.’’

Most of the families were hastily moved from Tokwe-Murkosi Dam following the recent floods.