adminMarvelous Moyo Gwanda Correspondent
GWANDA Town is experiencing erratic water supplies owing to unscheduled and increased electricity power cuts, Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) public relations manager, Marjorie Munyonga has said.
Munyonga said the mining town’s water supply challenges can only be solved if a dedicated power source is put in place for the water treatment plant. She was responding to questions e-mailed to her by The Chronicle on Gwanda’s erratic water situation.
“Our challenges in supplying water to Gwanda town are due to a number of reasons, chief among them, unscheduled and increased frequency of power cuts especially during the rainy season, which affect pumping.
“Unscheduled power cuts result in pipe bursts as valves are not closed gradually to alleviate pressure challenges. The issue of power supply inconsistencies is beyond Zinwa’s purview,” she said.
Munyonga said old water infrastructure, especially the pipelines, was also negatively affecting water supply to the town.
“Zinwa has continued to engage the donor community to assist in the rehabilitation of its infrastructure and we’re at an advanced stage of bringing on board one particular donor who is expected to attend to some of the works,” she said.
Munyonga said if the Gwanda municipality settled its $7million debt that it owes the water authority, most problems faced by Zinwa would be solved.
“However, if council were to pay the outstanding $7million they owe us, Zinwa will be in a position to rehabilitate the treatment plant and the pumping mains and allow for minimum interruption to supplies. It will again be in a position to negotiate for a dedicated power line to the treatment plant,” she said.
Munyonga said Zinwa was trying its best given the limited resources that it was working with.
Gwanda Municipality remits approximately $10,000 per month to the water authority.
Last week, the town experienced fresh water supply disturbances after a breakdown on the main pipeline from the water treatment plant. Repairs were, however, carried out and normal water supplies restored.
Residents were again subjected to poor water supplies due to increased and unscheduled load shedding recently.
The town has been experiencing increased load shedding of late, almost daily.
Efforts to get a comment from the Zesa spokesperson, Fullard Gwasira, were fruitless yesterday.
Online Reporter