Residents take council to court over water

Munyaradzi Musiiwa, Midlands Correspondent
GWERU residents have filed an urgent chamber application at the Bulawayo High Court accusing the city council of putting their lives at risk by failing to provide them with water especially now during the Covid-19 induced lockdown.

Residents are alleging that failure by the local authority to provide water is forcing them to flout the lockdown regulations thereby exposing them to coronavirus.

Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association (GRRA) through their lawyer Mr Reginald Chidawanyika of Chitere-Chidawanyika Legal Practitioners, want the local authority to be compelled to provide water especially to high density suburbs.

The residents are arguing that they can only maintain personal hygiene and avoid crowding at boreholes if they have running water.

Mr Chidawanyika confirmed on Tuesday that he had filed an urgent chamber application on behalf of the residents. He said they were now waiting for a date when the matter will be heard at the High Court.

“I can confirm that we have filed an urgent chamber application at the Bulawayo High Court. The concerns of the residents are that the local authority is failing to provide running water to residents. Most of the boreholes that were an alternative source of water have broken down,” he said.

Mr Chidawanyika said residents could not maintain personal hygiene without running water as they are supposed to wash their hands regularly.

“The residents are also saying the principle of social distancing becomes difficult to observe when they have to jostle for water at the few boreholes available.

They say their situation is worsened by the fact that the borehole handle is touched by more than 200 people a day and is not disinfected thereby exposing them to the risk of contracting the virus,” he said.

The residents, Mr Chidawanyika said are saying council is not making an effort to fix the broken down boreholes or provide water using bowsers.

The mayor councillor Josiah Makombe said council was prepared to defend itself in court.