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Flora Fadzai Sibanda, Chronicle Reporter
A HEALTH crisis is looming at Dete in Hwange District, Matabeleland North as residents have gone for almost a month without water.
This has forced them to resort to using bush toilets, exposing themselves to possible attacks by wild animals. Dete is a small railway re-crewing depot and a developing town on the Bulawayo-HwangeVictoria Falls railway line and lies within Hwange National Park.
The crisis emanates for failure by the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) to pump enough water from its reservoir due to electrical faults during the rainy season coupled with prolonged hours of load shedding.
Councillor for Ward 18 in Dete under Hwange Rural District Council, Cllr Stanley Torima said the crisis has been going on for almost a month now.He said the water challenge is affecting the livelihoods of residents and businesses with children now attending classes for a half a day.
“This problem has been going on for almost a month now and it has also affected businesses. Residents are now forced to relieve themselves in the bush, which is risky given that we are within Hwange National Park where there are dangerous wild animals,” said Cllr Torima.
“School children are no longer spending the whole day at school because there is no water. We honestly do not blame Zinwa in this case because there is little that they can do.” Mr Reason Sibanda, who operates a supermarket and butchery at Dete Business Centre said the water crisis has affected their business operations.
“The fact that electricity is always on and off, most of my perishables have since gone bad and I have been recording losses. Because of this water issue, I had to close down my sit-in bar,” he said.
“As business people, we have approached Zinwa, but they are saying they cannot pump water because of intermittent power cuts. At the moment power is available for an hour a day.”
Mr Sibanda said because of the crisis, there are now fears of an outbreak of waterborne diseases.“We are just coming from Covid-19 and what is worrying is that we have gone for a month without water, which is exposing us to deadly diseases,” he said.
Dete Residents Association chairperson, Mr Douglas Mpofu said the water crisis is likely to cause human-wildlife conflict as people are now using bushes where wild animals roam.Mr Mpofu appealed to the Government and well-wishers to assist by drilling more boreholes to augment water supplies.
Hwange RDC chief executive officer Mr Phindile Ncube said: “I am aware of the water crisis in Dete, which falls under our jurisdiction and our hope is that Zinwa addresses the challenges as soon as possible before we have a health disaster. In fact, is not right for people to go for such a long time without water.”
Zinwa corporate communications and marketing manager, Mrs Marjorie Munyonga said they have engaged Zesa to address the challenge.“As Zinwa, we acknowledge the prevailing water situation and regret any inconveniences that might have been caused.
We are, however, working tirelessly together with Zesa to ensure that the situation is rectified within the shortest possible time,” she said.
Mrs Munyonga said for a long time Dete has been facing constant power challenges during the rainy season resulting in the water treatment and distribution system being affected.
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