Chronicle Editor
Angela Sibanda, Chronicle Reporter
PLUMTREE Town Council has started upgrading its water infrastructure using devolution funds to alleviate water problems in high lying areas.
In 2020, council produced a document titled Plumtree Water and Waste Improvement Plan which highlights areas that need attention, paving the way for the current works.
Through the use of devolution funds allocated by Government last year, council is constructing a main pipeline that will connect areas lying on higher ground directly to water reservoirs as a way of addressing water distribution challenges within the border town.
Plumtree council chairperson Mr Fanisani Dube said high lying areas have been subjected to water challenges over the past years.
“Over the past years, areas on higher ground that include, Mathendele, Mathendele Extension, Madubes, Gwakuba commonly known as Gasava and Sivako have been facing water challenges as there was no pipe that directly connects the places to the reservoirs,” he said.
“Due to water cuts, the areas would go without water even if other areas would have received water because there was not enough pressure to push the water up.”
Mr Dube said when reservoirs have less water, high lying areas are the most affected.
“Areas on higher ground are the most affected by water cuts because when it is pumped back into the taps, it takes about two days for people in places like Mathendele to receive water.
“In cases when water cuts last for a week or so, the area will go for up to two weeks without tap water and council has taken a step to address the issue by constructing a main gravity pipeline that will connect the areas directly to the reservoirs,” he said.
The council is also planning to embark on water treatment and storage reservoirs as well as sewer reticulation works in new stands among others over a period of two years.
Mr Dube said council had also used devolution funds to acquire a refuse collection truck.
“We just received the delivery of our refuse truck which we had ordered six months ago from China.
As Plumtree Town we have been battling with refuse collection challenges.
Service delivery has been very slow and we are not coping.
We have been using a tractor for refuse collection and the process has been very slow,” he said.
“We have been collecting fortnightly in the residential areas and twice a week in the CBD.
And that has been very challenging because we have been failing to keep up with the standards of refuse collection to keep the town clean and this has led to the surfacing of dumping sites.
We are looking at covering all suburbs within a week.
For a small town like Plumtree, refuse collection will be fast using this truck.
The truck has been funded through devolution funds and it cost ZW$19 189 420.”
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