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Sukoluhle Ndlovu, Midlands Correspondent
GWERU City Council has received more than $3 million from Treasury under the $310 million facility set aside to facilitate devolution in local authorities and provincial councils.
In an interview with Sunday News, Gweru Mayor Clr Josiah Makombe said the funds will be channelled towards rehabilitation of the city’s aging water infrastructure.
“We have received about $3,4 million from the Government. As the council we dedicated that money towards rehabilitation of water pipes since the city has experiencing perennial water shortages, due to pipes burst, especially in areas such as Mkoba 14 and 19. This is to prevent outbreak of diseases such as cholera and typhoid,” he said.
Clr Makombe said the council was also considering overhauling the system, which has become prone to continuous pipe bursts.
“We have been experiencing challenges of pipe bursts as our water infrastructure has dilapidated. So, because of that, we are planning to overhaul the water reticulation system so that we reduce loss of water through pipe bursts,” he said.
Clr Makombe said the local authority is working on a programme to start supplying water through bowsers to areas that do not have water when water loss occurs.
Recently, the hamstrung municipality announced that it is left with nine months’ water supply, raising fears of a possible fresh outbreak of typhoid in the city, which claimed nine lives last year. A service level bench marking peer review report revealed that Gweru City Council is losing at least 57 percent of its treated water through burst pipes and leakages, as most of the city’s equipment has outlived its lifespan. Following the review, the council revealed that it will soon introduce water rationing, to save water.
Temba Dube