Addressing the problem of water shortage

Inadequate supply of water has for a long time generated a lot of disgruntlement among both domestic and commercial water users in most cities, towns and growth points and this has impacted negatively on sustainable socio-economic development.

Sadly, while there is general consensus that constructive engagement of consumers and water management authorities is a crucial step towards remedying the problem; efforts to address the situation have not yielded much so far due to the blame-game that has perpetually characterised debate on water management.

Interestingly, consumers blame responsible authorities for failing to provide adequate water while on the other hand, the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) along with local authorities have often singled out defaulting consumers as the chief perpetrators of most of the challenges bedevilling the water sector.

As a result, constructive debate on how to redress an already bad situation has been stifled for long periods as water management authorities and consumers have either been treading accusations or apportioning blame over water related issues.

Against this background, ZINWA is calling on all stakeholders in the water sector to have a paradigm shift so as to facilitate an all-inclusive kind of constructive engagement that would pave the way for improved service delivery.

The current bickering and needless apportionment of blame does not bode well with the promotion of an equitable, efficient and sustainable water management agenda.

Clearly, one does not need to be a rocket scientist to appreciate that the daunting challenges we are faced with cannot be addressed unless there is a paradigm shift both in terms of our attitude to and approach of water related issues.

If we do not come together and approach problems affecting the water sector as a collective unit, chances are high that alleviation of water shortages will regrettably remain a pipedream.

In other words, changing attitudes is the obvious reality that all stakeholders in the water sector must embrace.

Interestingly, many people might not know that most urban areas in Zimbabwe have outgrown the capacity of their water treatment plants and given the disappointingly poor levels of consumer understanding of water management issues, the staggering task of rehabilitating water infrastructure has become even more arduous.

Over the years and due to the ever increasing urban population, a number of initiatives have been made in an effort to curb water shortage.

Rehabilitation of water infrastructure, especially water treatment plants, is arguably the most telling step in the battle to improve the water situation and despite the harsh economic environment currently obtaining, ZINWA is determined to rehabilitate water treatment plants and other infrastructure owned or managed by the Authority.

Unfortunately, rehabilitation of water infrastructure is often done at a very slow pace because it is a capital intensive exercise.

However just as ZINWA, local authorities and other key stakeholders in the water sector cannot afford to neglect water resources; so should consumers pay their water bills despite the economic challenges mentioned above.

Needless to say, there are also a number of areas that experience perennial water shortages as a result of dilapidated reticulation systems and the only way of rectifying the problem would be to carry out a complete overhaul of the reticulation system.

Therefore, although water shortage in some areas has been caused by demand and supply imbalances, it is paramount to ensure that existing infrastructure are fully functional first before plans to increase their operational capacity can be put into place.

The success of ZINWA’s efforts to alleviate the problem of clear water shortage in areas under its jurisdiction still depends on how much stakeholders in the water sector, including consumers themselves, are willing play an active role in issues relevant to water management.

For more information please contact the corporate Communications and Marketing Department on [email protected], mail to: [email protected] or visit www.zinwa.co.zw. You can also like our page on Facebook page.