Vusumuzi Dube
Blessed Moyo, Sunday News Reporter
As Bulawayo City Council’s stringent water rationing schedule continues to leave residents parched, a peculiar sight has emerged in Sizinda, where desperate residents are flocking to a swampy area to fetch water gushing from the ground, sparking concerns over health and safety, despite the council’s warnings against consuming untreated water, amidst allegations of negligence and mismanagement of the city’s water resources.
Sizinda residents have resonated to fetching water from a swamp after the local authorities introduced a 120hour water shedding schedule as the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) is struggling to pump enough raw water into its reservoirs due to depleted water levels in the city’s supply dams amid the El Nino drought.
The health of the residents of Sizinda is in question after residents were spotted by the Sunday News Crew fetching water for washing clothes and drinking in a swampy area where sewerage passes by.
“We get water from this dirty area because water rationing is a problem in our area. We can go for more than 5 days without, and as parents we have to make sure that our children wear clean clothes and school uniforms”, said the 38year old Miss Portia Nkomo from Plumtree who is a Sizinda resident.
Residents of Sizinda are facing a bewildering water distribution schedule, with water supply arriving at different times of the day, sometimes pouring in at midnight, other times at dawn, or even mid-afternoon, as the Bulawayo City Council’s aging pipes, crippled gold-panners, struggle to pump water consistently, leaving residents to adapt to an unpredictable and chaotic water supply system, forcing them to adjust their daily routines and sacrifice precious time to queue for this basic necessity
Sizinda is grappling with the crippling effects of water rationing, with a single borehole serving as the primary water source for a massive population, leaving residents to contend with daily struggles to access this basic necessity, as the Bulawayo City Council’s stringent water restrictions exacerbate an already dire situation.
This situation has sparked widespread frustration and desperation among residents who are forced to queue for hours or trek long distances to fetch water from one borehole, highlighting the urgent need for alternative solutions to alleviate the crippling water shortage.
Fetching water from the swampy pond has created a perfect storm for cholera, a highly infectious disease to spread, and prompting health officials to sound the alarm and urge citizens to take immediate precautions against the use of water from unclean sources.
When water is cut for long hours some people get water from the swamp and they boil it for drinking and cooking in their homes.
“We really need the government to assist us because this situation is really bad and a cholera outbreak is imminent because this water is not safe to drink or cook with” said Miss Ntandoyami Ngwenya from Tsholotsho who is also a resident of Sizinda.
Online Reporter