Chitungwiza needs US$400m

Herald Reporter
CHITUNGWIZA council requires about US$400 million to address the water crisis bedevilling the ever growing town and has started engaging potential investors to raise the money. Town Clerk Mr George Makunde confirmed the latest development adding that the solution to the water challenges was for the town to have its own source of water.
This comes at a time the council, which will be dominated by the MDC-T, is facing criticism from ratepayers for proposing the appointment of Ward 2 councillor-elect Phillip Mutodi as the town’s deputy mayor.

Residents, who are already showing lack of confidence in the newly elected MDC-T councillors, fear that Mutodi’s lack of qualification would lead to the collapse of the council. “The town needs an estimated US$400 million to deal with its water challenges and the long term solution will be to build a dam so that the city divorces itself from relying on the capital city for water supply,” said Mr Makunde.

“We are courting investors and things are looking up though we cannot disclose much information for fear of jeopardising negotiations.”
According to council authorities the town’s sewer and water facilities were initially meant to cater for 500 000 people but the town now has close to two million residents thereby burdening existing infrastructure and raising fears of disease outbreaks.

Of late there has been increases in cases of diarrhoeal cases across the country and in its recent report the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare said 13 people, most of them children, had died of diarrhoea while 7 724 cases were reported across the country.

Director of Works Mr Alfonce Tinofa said the water project would see a complete overhaul of the sewer reticulation system. “The Municipality has identified Muda Dam, originally meant for agricultural purposes by the then ministry of water resources as the dam to be used for the city’s domestic and industrial water needs. The site is approximately 35km south of Chitungwiza along Beatrice Road and ideal for the project which will see the town relying on itself for water,” he said.