adminlives across the country.
The current typhoid outbreak has a very real potential of even spreading to other parts of the country if not properly managed. Its effects might also be as deleterious as those of the cholera outbreak if urgent measures are not put in place to curb the disease, especially after the onset of the rainy season.
At a glance, typhoid is a disease caused by caused by the Salmonella typh bacteria. Typhoid fever spreads through contaminated food and water or through close contact with someone who is infected. Signs and symptoms usually include high fever, headache, abdominal pain, and either constipation or diarrhoea. While such a disease is rare in developed countries, it continues to be a serious health threat in developing countries.
The outbreak may also pave way for other opportunistic diseases and this might make the situation even worse.
From the above situation and especially in the case of our urban areas, it is clear that the current crippling water shortages are the major cause of the typhoid outbreak. People have resorted to the use of unprotected wells for drinking water. Usually after such an outbreak, we see Government, local authorities, the Zimbabwe National Water Authority, NGOs and United Nations agencies running around to ensure that normalcy prevails and that lives are saved. But it is the informed view of the writer that this running around is just a treatment of symptoms yet the cause of the disease remains untouched and unattended.
The major issue that has led to these crippling water shortages has always been the lack of funding for water, hygiene and sanitation infrastructure. The funds available to Government, Zinwa and the local authorities are usually inadequate to fully sustain the growth and development of water infrastructure in the country. There is need for other players to chip in and provide the much needed resources if the fight against water shortages, poor sanitation and hygiene is to be won. If the fight is to be left to Government, Zinwa, NGOs and local authorities alone, then the country is in for a bruising and gruelling fight that shall be long term in nature, costly and life claiming.
The starting point in addressing the pressing water and sanitation should be the increased participation of the private sector in the provision of resources for water infrastructure development. This is what is clearly lacking in all the efforts that Government, Zinwa and local authorities are putting in place. Even in cases where the private sector would be the major beneficiaries of major water infrastructure projects, the companies have always assumed the position of spectators. They have watched as Government struggle to finance the projects, resulting in some of these projects taking very long to be completed while others even fail to take off.
If one takes a close look at the effects of water shortages in urban areas, growth points and service centres on business activities, such a person’s heart bleeds. A lot of business has been lost due to water shortages, investment in a number of places has been retarded by these water shortages while in some cases, business has closed shop owing to water problems.
In Harare, schools have at times send pupils back home because of water shortages and other companies have also been sending employees back home simply because there is no water.
The question begging for an answer is where is the private sector in this whole equation. A good example is Harare. Everyone knows that the root of the water shortages is the dilapidated water infrastructure and a small water treatment plant that needs to be serious revamped and expanded. In Bulawayo, everyone knows where the solution is, the Mtshabezi Pipeline while in Marondera, the
Wenimbi Pipeline is set to ease water problems. All these and many other projects have been left to the Government and Zinwa alone. The Kunzvi Dam project has failed to take off the ground yet the country boasts of an abounding private sector.
An interesting case is that of the Tokwe-Mukorsi Dam, which is set to augment water supplies to the sugar cane plantations in the Lowveld. The project is now on course, thanks to Government efforts. The project stalled during the last decade owing to financial challenges, but the private sector, including companies that will directly benefit from the dam, failed to contribute even a dime towards its resumption.
Commissioning the Nyajena Weir in September, Water Resources Development and Management Minister Samuel Sipepa Nkomo expressed concern at the reluctance of the private sector to partner Government in water resources development projects.
He said such a mindset by the private sector continued to retard the growth of the sector. He also noted that water was a very important resource, without which no nation can survive, hence the need for a holistic approach towards resolving challenges facing the sector.
James Chakwizira, a senior researcher with the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research, also lamented the lack of private sector participation infrastructure development in Africa and noted that various factors have resulted in the growth of serious mistrust between Government, Government arms and the private sector. These factors have driven private sector investment away. These factors include integrity issues on the part of Governments, unequal profit sharing mechanisms and unfriendly legislative frameworks.
Various arrangements can be put in place to safeguard the interests of both parties. We know the private sector companies operate for a profit while Government, Zinwa and local authorities mainly work for the provision of an essential service to the people. All these can be balanced through a holistic approach to water resources management and infrastructure development.
One such arrangement is the Build-Operate-And Transfer approach, where the private sector assumes the construction of certain dams, water treatment plants, pipelines and other water conservation works, build them and operate them for an agreed period of time before handing it over to Government, Zinwa or local authorities. Such an arrangement will ensure the quick completion of water projects for the benefit of the people and the business community and it also allows the companies involved to recoup their money and even make a profit during the period they would be running the facility.
Also, the Government has the essential responsibilities of establishing adequate policy and regulatory frameworks, institutions and contractual arrangements and overseeing their functioning and these, wherever they impede private sector participation, should be seriously reviewed and revised.
In addition, it must also be noted that water is a segmented sector, with oversight responsibilities for resource management and service provision often split between different ministries, and across national, regional and local authorities. This may raise important capacity challenges and also generate issues of consistency across government levels. Careful allocation of roles and responsibilities is needed across different authorities, taking into account existing capacity gaps, and based on resources allocated in line with duties and responsibilities.
Building common understanding across levels of Government on the objectives, means and resources for water provision is also equally important.
In view of the foregoing, it is explicit that there is a great need for the building of trust between Government and the private sector inasfar as private sector participation in water resources management is concerned. The current reluctance of the private sector to participate in water infrastructure development is not helping matters and a concrete policy framework should be put in place to ensure mutual understanding and trust. In the absence of this, the country might be fighting a losing battle against water shortages and water-borne diseases and it is high time that the private sector assumes its position on the development of water resources in the country.
- We welcome enquiries and suggestions. Please channel them to Zinwa PR Department, 12th Floor, Old Mutual Centre, corner Third Street and Jason Moyo Avenue, Harare. Email: [email protected]. Phone (04) 797 604/5;797610
Online Reporter