Chronicle Editor
Business Editor
THE Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has said its 2020 capital budget will prioritise water and sanitation infrastructure projects with a bias towards housing and commercial stands development as well as completion of outstanding projects.
The local authority has proposed a ZWL$1,43 billion capital budget for next year. Already council’s capital spending has received a boost from the African Development Bank (AfDB) in the form of a US$24,5 million grant, for the same thrust.
Just last week Government extended ZWL$72,3 million to 16 municipalities including Bulawayo, to finance water and sewerage projects. From this funding, the City of Kings has been allocated $18,3 million for water and sewer reticulation.
“The capital budget is inclined towards water and sanitation works, which are funded from the grant advanced by the African Development Bank. The fund will see sewer reticulation works being undertaken in Cowdray Park and Nkulumane,” said council in its 2020 budget statement issued last week.
“Council will avail stands on a presale scheme to cover servicing of stands. Funds expected to be raised from this scheme will be for the servicing of those new residential, commercial, and industrial areas with water, sewerage and roads infrastructure.”
According to council, the AfDB’s grant of US$24 491 000 was approved in 2016 for water, sewer, and sanitation programme. The local authority also said new borrowing powers will be sought from Government and are expected to fund new projects, which will be taken on board in 2020 while existing borrowing powers will fund the completion of projects already being undertaken.
From the Government bailout, Bulawayo would use ZWL$14,4 million for the rehabilitation of 77 boreholes and drilling equipment for additional boreholes at Nyamandlovu Aquifer, construction of a pump house, pipeline and reservoir. It will also use ZWL$288 000 for the replacement of pressure reducing valves while ZWL $3,6 million is designated for sewer rehabilitation of collapsed outfall sewer for Aisleby Farm.
The council also said it would continue with the pipeline levy that would be used for the water argumentation project at Nyamandlovu Epping Forest. Service delivery remains in the spotlight across the country as local authorities face water and sewer reticulation challenges, which threaten to expose residents to water-borne diseases. Government’s intervention comes after the City of Harare was allocated ZWL$37,4 million recently. Finance and Economic Development Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube, has said Government noted that other local authorities face similar problems with regard to water and sewer provision.
“Lack of investments by councils towards maintenance and rehabilitation of infrastructure assets has resulted in high water losses along the distribution networks with some local authorities such as Harare, Chitungwiza and Mutare having water losses above 60 percent.
“Additionally, most councils are failing to collect billed amounts from residents, and hence, have accumulated huge bills for water treatment chemicals, which has resulted in suppliers suspending services,” he said.
Waste disposal also remains a “huge challenge” for most local authorities because of the proliferation of illegal solid waste dumps in most locations. Government has said if the situation was left unchecked, there is a real threat of the “re-emergence of water borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid, which caused untold suffering to citizens.
Online Reporter