Online Reporter
Most cities and towns have since inde-pendence witnessed phenomenal growth but have not expanded or upgraded their water pumping infrastructure to match the increased population hence the water shortages facing many local authorities.
Many councils are as a result failing to meet their residents’ daily water consumption forcing them to ration water.
Bulawayo, Harare, Gweru and other councils need to continue investing in bulk water delivery infrastructure so that they are able to pump adequate water to meet their daily demand.
Bulawayo has been forced to ration water while in Harare some suburbs have gone for years without receiving municipal water. The provision of safe drinking water is one of the core responsibilities of local authorities and as such councils should move with speed to address this shortcoming of failing to provide this essential service.
There are many suburbs in the different cities and towns that have gone for years without receiving municipal water and this is unacceptable. In some cases, residents are buying water while others are relying on water from boreholes or wells which at times is not safe for drinking.
Residents pay their bills to councils so that they are provided with services such as the supply of safe drinking water.
It defeats logic for residents to scrounge for water when their supply dams are full.
We want to once again implore councils to prioritise the issue of providing adequate water to residents.
The obtaining situation in some cities and towns where some new suburbs have gone for years without municipal water is unacceptable and should be addressed immediately.
We want at this juncture to commend the Bulawayo City Council which is demonstrating a commitment to increasing its water pumping capacity.
The council recently commissioned Umzingwane Pump Station which is expected to increase the raw water it pumps to the city‘s water treatment plant. The new facility replaced an ageing infrastructure which was installed in the 1970s which had become prone to frequent breakdowns and water leakages.
The Mayor of Bulawayo Clr David Coltart said the new pump station will improve the city’s capacity to pump raw water to the treatment plant.
Clr Coltart said the provision of water remains one of the city’s priorities under its strategic plan and Minimum Service Delivery Standards whose target piped water coverage is at least 90 percent.
We want to once again implore councils to avail more resources for the upgrading of water pumping infrastructure in their respective cities and towns so that all residents have access to clean and safe drinking water.
