adminTSHOLOTSHO Rural District Council needs more than $800 000 to upgrade its sewer system following years of using septic tanks, Sunday News can reveal.
In an interview, the chief executive officer for the council, Mr Themba Moyo, said they applied to the Government under the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) for funding.
“We submitted bids to the Government under PSIP and we essentially need about $814 000 to carry out the upgrading of the sewer system as it is the only solution to the problem of the blocked system,” he said.
He said he was optimistic about Government’s response to their request.
The sewer system in Tsholotsho has been down for the past decade with communities around Tsholotsho Centre and Government departments being severely affected.
Recently, the Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Paul Chimedza, launched a scathing attack on the council and Tsholotsho District Hospital over the use of Blair toilets by the hospital. He said the hospital was sitting on a time bomb as they had no functioning toilet facilities which were also detrimental to the health of the patients and people around.
Mr Moyo told Sunday News that since the visit of Dr Chimedza they have started meeting every week to find possible solutions to some of the hospital’s immediate challenges.
“We have since started meeting every Tuesday with our stakeholders to find solutions to some of the things that we have the capacity to do alone and we are making steady progress as we have managed to purchase some of the items needed,” Mr Moyo said.
He said Government departments, business community and non-governmental organisations are part of the stakeholders that deliberated with the council to rehabilitate buildings at the hospital.
Mr Moyo said 25 locksets and some doors have been purchased so far to repair damaged doors with local businessman, Mr Simba Mukombe, donating $1 500 to the hospital.
He further said the council discovered that there were many things that were blocking the sewage pipes which was causing challenges.
“There are blankets, clothes, stones, cans and sand among other things that are blocking the pipes so there is a lot of work that needs to be done to clear all the mess but we are optimistic that with funding we can lay our plans right and get the system functioning adequately,” said Mr Moyo.
Tsholotsho engineer, Mr Lawrence Nhandara, said the job to upgrade the sewer system will take about two years to complete if funds are availed.
“We could do the upgrading of the sewage treatment plant in about two years all things being equal, it becomes easy to manage when upgraded and it’s a more hygienic thing than the old septic tanks that were being used. It also creates employment for the locals,” he said.
In a recent stakeholders meeting that was held in Tsholotsho, a report revealed that most of the sewer systems in developing countries were copied from the Western world treatment system without considering the appropriateness of the technology, land and climate.
The report revealed that it was of paramount importance to modify and upgrade the current system at Tsholotsho Centre to cope with the increasing demand of safe and sustainable disposal methods of sewage waste.
“The Tsholotsho RDC’s engineering department shall carry out ground surveys along the proposed pipe route. The upgrading of the sewer reticulation shall be done firstly by the servicing of new residential stands with septic and sewer connection. Excavation and pipe laying shall be done secondly concurrently with the construction of the man holes,” read part of the report.
It is expected that the sedimentation tanks, filter bed and pump house will be constructed at a later phase. Currently bush clearance has been done on the proposed pipeline.
When the project is complete an estimated 4 000 housing units and institutions will benefit while locals will also benefit through being employed to work on the project.
Online Reporter