Chronicle Editor
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
THE Beitbridge Municipality has completed connecting 500 properties in the newly built-up suburbs to water and sewer reticulation facilities as it intensifies its drive to transform the town into a medium city.
Town Clerk Mr Loud Ramakgapola said they were mobilising more resources to connect all the outstanding properties to water and sewer reticulation facilities.
He said the programme was being rolled out in phases.
“About 500 houses have now been connected to water in the new stands and currently we are working on connections in other areas.
In the new stands, we have close to 2000 stands, and we are seized with finishing the service for water reticulation,” he said.
Mr Ramakgapola said they were hoping that water supply will improve upon the completion of a 15 megalitre reservoir that is under construction by Zimborders.
This, he said, will improve the town’s storage facilities.
According to the 2021 municipality’s budget statement, a total of $346 million will be committed to water, sanitation and hygiene services.
The Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development Felix Mhona said recently that as part of the US$300 million border modernisation project, resources will be channeled towards upgrading water and sewer facilities in the town.
He said workers were already on site excavating and trenching on areas where sewer, water reticulation, access roads, and a 15 megalitre reservoir tank will be located.
“We have also started working on the provision of 264 housing units for border agencies which is something that is of paramount importance.
“You will note that previously, we didn’t have accommodation for our people, but as we speak we witnessed that the contractor is on course in terms of providing the civil works,” said the Minister.
Minister Mhona said within the next six weeks, Zimborders will start constructing houses to be completed between 2022 and 2023.
He said within the border, most buildings were almost complete with the maintenance terminal having been completed and will be used for administrative purposes by Zimborders.
The town requires atleast 18 megalitres of water daily and storage facilities to carry a combined 54 megalitres,enough for three days.
Currently, the storage facilities can only carry 10, 4 megalitres this has seen the local authority failing to evenly distribute water to newly built-up areas.
It is also projected that in the next 10 years, the council should have storage facilities to carry about 100 megalitres of water. -@tupeyo
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