Chronicle Editor
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
RESIDENTS of a section of Nkulumane 5 in Bulawayo expressed concern over the failure by the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) to attend to blocked toilets which have seen raw sewage flowing into their homes.
The residents said incessant calls to BCC have not yielded any positive results and that has seen them resorting to alternative places to bath and relieve themselves.
A visit to some of the affected houses painted a grim picture of how residents are coping as they live in unsanitary conditions which has become a health time bomb.
“They would fix it today and two days later, the blockages would have started. We have been having this challenge since July, this is not a pleasant situation because as you bath, the water with sewage is pumped up the toilet and spills into the shower area.
“Now we cannot bath inside the house. This is unhealthy for us and our children because there is bacteria everywhere. We are now tired of this setup and hope for a permanent solution,” said Mrs Sekai Zhanje, one of the affected residents.
“We have reported the issue several times but they are not responding to our reports and we are left to wonder if their silence means we will have to live like this.”
Mr Timothy Kwinda, an elderly man who is also affected said he has visited the council offices several times to make reports but to no avail.
“I have gone there many times and the other day they said they were busy and would come but weeks later they still have not attended to our problem. I went there last Wednesday again to report and they never came.
“They just say they are coming. This problem is affecting almost the whole street, they have sewage flowing into their homes. We do not know where else we can make our reports since no one responds to us,” lamented Mr Kwinda.
The affected residents said the problem is better when there is no water.
“It is better when there is no water, as soon as supplies are restored, the toilets start to overflow more and it’s a huge problem,” said another resident.
The residents have resorted to covering the drainage points with cardboard boxes around their houses to prevent children from playing with the effluent which may cause diseases like cholera and typhoid.
“We do not have the money to take our children to hospitals in the event that there is a cholera outbreak caused by these blocked sewers. So we try by all means to protect them,” said Mrs Zhanje.
Ms Caroline Kwinda said residents have been bathing outside early in the morning.
“We have to put bricks in the house to step on to avoid stepping on raw sewage. As it is, we do not bath in the shower anymore. We have in some cases bathed outside, early in the morning when it is still dark so that passersby do not see us. We now bath in the bush,” said Ms Kwinda.
Bulawayo Deputy Mayor Councillor Edwin Ndlovu said the sewer challenge in the city was largely because of water challenges.
“Our biggest challenge as a city is that we have water shortages, and water is the key component that allows sewage to flow smoothly to its rightful place. The system is designed to carry 80 percent water and 20 percent sewer, which then makes it flow but now we have water issues and there is a lot of sewer than water in the system such that it is overwhelmed and occasionally bursts,” said Clr Ndlovu.
“This is not only common in residential areas but also in some areas of the CBD. Whenever water is restored we get numerous reports of the bursts and our teams are overwhelmed as they try to respond to each report received in the city so there is a delay in repairs but we are doing our best under the current setup,” he said.
Clr Ndlovu encouraged residents to get a reference number that they can follow up with their councillor if there have been no response from the BCC teams. @NyembeziMu
Bongani Ndlovu