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Fairness Moyana, Hwange Correspondent
THE Hwange Local Board (HLB) requires $1.7 million to rehabilitate its sewer and waste infrastructure in order to effectively cater for its growing population, which has put pressure on its constrained system resulting in constant sewer bursts.
In an interview on the sidelines of a Hwange Urban WASH project steering committee meeting, HLB resident engineer Philip Mguni said although the local authority had received interventions through a $1.5 million UNICEF facility, there were still gaps in the rehabilitation of sewer and waste infrastructure.
He attributed the gap to constant breakdowns at the sewer plant and pipe bursts.
“There are still huge gaps, more money is needed particularly in the rehabilitation of sewer and waste infrastructure that wasn’t adequately covered by the project. About $1.7 million is required to rehabilitate the sewer treatment plant,” said Engineer Nguni.
He said more money was needed towards the rehabilitation of the treatment plants which were not properly covered by the project.
With a growing population of 10,508 within its jurisdiction, HLB has faced serious challenges in waste management as its plants have been overwhelmed by the pressure resulting in breakdowns that go for weeks without repairs owing to funding constraints.
Briefing the steering committee, Eng Nguni said the project was facing sustainability challenges, which had resulted in the programme being extended to June this year from December last year.
“As you’re well aware we’re here to assess progress and impact made while offering recommendations as to how best the project can be accelerated without compromising on the quality. I’ve to highlight to you that the project faces serious sustainability challenges which we’ve to address,” he said.
Under the Small Towns WASH (STWP) programme, which is supporting 14 small towns in the country, HLB received $1.5 million for its hardware and software components.
Of the amount, $1.2 million was committed towards the hardware component, which includes rehabilitation of infrastructure, customer care training for staff and procurement of computers for an effective response to residents’ concerns.
On the software part, the project addresses health and hygiene issues through promotions, establishment of school and community health clubs among other interventions.
The programme is funded by the Australian government through UNICEF with the aim of reducing the burden of diarrheal diseases and risk of cholera while improving productivity amongst the vulnerable populations.
The initiative is meant to benefit 500,000 people through the provision of water supply and sanitation services emanating from the rehabilitation of water and sanitation systems.
Mvuramanzi Trust and World Vision Zimbabwe are implementing the programme in Hwange district on behalf of UNICEF.
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