adminWalter Mswazie Masvingo Correspondent
Water problems have resurfaced in Masvingo, amid reports that the cash-strapped local authority was failing to secure US$4 000 to import spare parts to repair the city’s main water plant at Bushmead Waterworks on the shores of Lake Mutirikwi. Suburbs built on high ground have gone for two weeks without access to water, raising fears of water-borne diseases such as typhoid and cholera.
City Engineer Tawanda Gozo said residents have been depending on water bowsers which they occasionally deploy to the affected areas.
Some residents complained that the deployment of the bowsers had been erratic, with some of them waiting for up to three days without getting supplies. “It is true we are facing water challenges, as council and this is the second week since the problem started,” he said. “We had a breakdown and we need to replace some components and the supplier wants forex in the sum of US$4 000.”
Eng Gozo said the local authority had applied for foreign currency to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), but it was still waiting for the disbursement of the money.
“We look forward to getting the new components for the repairs soon and we appeal to our residents to be patient,” he said.
“In the interim, we are supplying the affected suburbs, most of them on higher ground, with water in bowsers. We have come up with timetables where our personnel supply the water to residents and the affected areas receive supplies at different times.”
Online Reporter