Chronicle Editor
Thandeka Moyo, Chronicle Reporter
BULAWAYO City Council (BCC) said yesterdy that it has put measures in place to deal with any disease outbreak that might be caused by intermittent water supplies in the city.
In a statement yesterday, the council’s senior public relations officer Mrs Nesisa Mpofu said as of Tuesday no cases of typhoid or any water-borne disease had been recorded in the city.
She however said council which feared diseases outbreak as a result of erratic water supplies in Nketa, Nkulumane, Emganwini and Cowdray Park suburbs, was on high alert.
“The City of Bulawayo is on high alert for any disease outbreak and has activated its emergency preparedness and response team. In cases of diarrhoea or suspected typhoid, patients are encouraged to visit their nearest (or preferred) health facility and all private practitioners must report any such cases to the City Health Department,” said Mrs Mpofu
She said few cases of diarrhoea are expected in the city but the council’s health department was closely monitoring the numbers.
Mrs Mpofu said residents who have resorted to drinking borehole water as a result of erratic supplies must boil the water.
“According to the City By-laws, residents are not allowed to drink borehole water and if they have to, this water should be boiled. The City inspectorate always routinely collects water samples at strategically located and geographically placed sites and analyses this water for suitability for consumption,” she said.
In an interview, an Emganwini resident Ms Lyn Dube said residents have gone for five days without water and nothing was being done to address the problem.
“We are now suffering and it seems the problem is far from being fixed. Honestly we were saved by the fact that schools are closed and our children can spend the whole day queuing for water. I think council should engage Zesa officials so that this problem is fixed once and for all,” she said.
The council said last week that it was struggling to fill up Magwegwe reservoir which supplies the affected suburbs.
The local authority management promised to send bowsers if the water shedding schedule exceeds stipulated times but some residents said no bowsers have been sent despite the fact that supplies are yet to resume.
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