adminThe sole water station had been flooded due to torrential rains which had been pounding the district over the past two weeks. The town had been without water for five days last week until normal service were restored on Friday morning.
The water treatment station which is located a few metres from the Limpopo River was submerged on Monday morning. The flooding also left the back-up generators submerged and this affected the electrical systems.
Residents had to rely on 33 boreholes which are dotted across the border town at the height of the water shortage.
An official from Zinwa who preferred anonymity said it took them four days to address the situation at the treatment plant.
“We had to drain the water from the treatment pump and re-assemble the machines again before restoring services” said the official.
Beitbridge Town Secretary Dr Sipho Singo had earlier on in the week indicated that the town would go for some time without water. The town needs at least 15 000 cubic metres of water per day though the local authority is able to supply only a third of the daily requirement.
The town has 4000 houses and is home to more than 40 000 people. The floods have also affected construction work on the new treatment pump which is being sponsored by the Government.
Dr Singo said the floods had also left a trail of destruction on the water and sewer reticulation systems. He said four points had been damaged on the main sewer line though they had managed to repair three points.
He said the bus terminus and several link roads were extensively damaged though the engineering department had started working on them.
Dr Singo said council was doing everything necessary to avoid the outbreak of water-borne diseases such as cholera.
Meanwhile, a German-funded non-governmental organisation has pledged to build houses for Beitbridge families whose homes were destroyed by floods last week.
The heavy rains, which lasted for more than 24 hours, left eight people dead and destroyed huts and houses at more than 40 homesteads. It also destroyed infrastructure.
Among the dead were three children aged four, five and nine who died when the huts they were sleeping in collapsed.
Also killed were a local businessman Simon Mudawu (61) and his wife Christina (61), whose vehicle was swept away by the floods.
All the eight have since been buried.
In an interview yesterday Beitbridge district administrator Mr Simon Muleya said the Government assisted in the burial of the eight.
“We are pleased to note that a donor, Health German, has pledged to build homes for the families whose homes were destroyed by the storm especially in Chikwalakwala.
“We had a meeting with the donor in the morning where we discussed the issue and gave them the bill of quantities for the initiative,” said Mr Muleya.
He could however not be drawn to explain how many homes the donor would construct and when the project would start.
He, however, said some of the homeless families were still staying at Chikwalakwala Clinic where Government gave them tents and food.
Low lying areas such as Chikwalakwala, Tshitulipasi, Tshasvingo and Mawale villages were the worst affected.
Last Wednesday co-Minister of Home Affairs Kembo Mohadi visited the affected families and expressed shock at the level of destruction.
“Honestly there is serious damage and scores of people were marooned. The whole irrigation scheme in Chikwalakwala was submerged and about 34 people were left homeless,” said Minister Mohadi, who is the MP for the area.
“The situation is serious such that we had to use a helicopter because the roads are virtually impassable and bridges were damaged. From an aerial view, all the landscape appeared to have been washed away. Even if water subsides most of the houses would not be suitable for habitation.
“We went there and gave the affected families food and tents as a stop gap measure. At the moment the affected families are staying at Chikwalakwala Clinic. We appeal to well- wishers to give us more tents.”
The Minister also said livestock such, as goats and sheep and other smaller stock, were washed away in some places including crops.
The rains had also affected the operations at Beitbridge Border Post where business was temporarily brought to a halt, as the raging downpour flooded Limpompo River.
Also destroyed was the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority camp near the border town.
The bridge along Bubi River in Chikwalakwala, which links the area with Chiredzi and Chikombedzi, was also swept away.
Online Reporter