adminParents have raised concerns over the possible outbreak of diseases like cholera, dysentery and typhoid due to water shortages in the city.
The council’s senior public relations officer, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu, said in an interview on Monday that council had sent a questionnaire to the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture asking them to identify schools in the city with storage tanks so that bowsers could deliver water to them.
“We are in the process of identifying schools with storage tanks, our bowsers will be delivering water to schools so as to avoid disease outbreaks,” said Mrs Mpofu.
She said residential areas without boreholes would also receive water in bowsers while old and dilapidated boreholes would be rehabilitated in those areas.
Contacted for comment Bulawayo provincial education director Mr Dan Moyo said the water crisis would not stop schools which opened on Tuesday from conducting lessons.
“We will not allow the water situation faced by the city to disturb the opening of schools.
“As a ministry we are aware that water is life hence we have made an arrangement with the city council to have water delivered at all schools in Bulawayo,” said Mr Moyo.
He said schools without tanks should come up with plans to buy them in order to store water so as to avoid the outbreak of diseases.
Mr Moyo urged school authorities to make sure that pupils exercise strict hygiene by washing their hands after using the toilet and before consumption of food.
Despite the water shortages the Minister of Water Resources, Management and Development, Samuel Sipepa Nkomo, said that the situation does not qualify the city to be declared a critical water shortage area.
Online Reporter