Karoi hit by water crisis

John Murwira Mash West Correspondent
Karoi residents are up in arms with council and the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) over failure to provide them with water for a week. The week-long water crisis has affected business operations in the town, with fast-food outlets, including Eat and Lick, being the most affected as they cannot provide sanitation facilities.

People in the town are now resorting to using water from unprotected sources, while others are relieving themselves in open spaces. A resident, Mr Peter Gomo, said the town is faced with perennial water problems that need permanent solutions.

“Surely there is need for a lasting solution on the issue of water as it has now become a cause for concern and even posing a health hazard for residents,” said Mr Gomo.

Karoi Town Council chairperson Mr Richard Ziki shifted the blame to Zinwa for failing to repair worn-out pipes. “Yes, I can confirm there is a water crisis, but the problem is not ours as council but Zinwa’s, which is responsible for supplying the town with water. It is failing to refurbish pipes which were laid during the colonial era,” he said

Mr Ziki said the responsibility to supply water should revert to council as it was ready and capable to provide the service. He said Government should finalise the takeover of the function by council. The Urban Councils Act (Chapter 29; 15) empowers all local authorities to run their own water and sewer systems.

Zinwa acting corporate communications and marketing manager Mr Tsungirirai Shoriwa confirmed the challenges in supplying water in Karoi Town over the past days, saying efforts were underway to restore normal supplies.

“The current water challenges resulted from the damage that occurred to the cable at Karoi Dam. Zinwa replaced the damaged cable, but the replacement got stolen a day after installation, leaving Blockley Dam as the sole raw water source for the town,” said Mr Shoriwa.

“Blockley Dam cannot meet the requirements of the town because its location is subject to load shedding, leading to depressed water supplies to the town.”

The situation was compounded by a major pipe burst that occurred along the line from Blockely Dam to the water treatment plant on Monday. Zinwa has appealed to Zesa to ensure uninterrupted power supplies until the problem has been rectified.

“Zinwa’s technical team is on the ground working on the restoration of supplies from Karoi Dam. The authority appeals to residents of Karoi to bear with Zinwa as it works on the restoration of supplies from Karoi Dam and to use the available water very sparingly,” he said.