‘Address our water woes’

Municipal Correspondent

Residents in the Avenues area of Harare have appealed to Harare City Council to address water challenges in their area.

The water challenges have worsened since the 21-day Covid-19 lockdown started as some community taps which they have been relying on at places such as Montague Spar in Chinamano Avenue, were closed as part of efforts to combat the spread of the disease.

This has seen residents turning to bulk water suppliers who are selling 5 000 litres for US$50.

A resident, Mrs Tendai Nyagumbo, said council should come to their rescue.

“People are spending as much as US$100 weekly to buy 10 000 litres of water,” she said.

“Council needs to do its part. This shows that it is not responding to the fight against Covid-19 swiftly.”

Council spokesman Mr Michael Chideme said they were drilling and repairing boreholes across the city and installing water tanks at vantage points to alleviate water shortages.

“We are constricted in terms of water delivery at the moment, but we are putting in place measures to ensure equitable distribution of available resources,” he said.

“We are urging residents to use the available water sparingly.”