adminMarvelous Moyo Gwanda Correspondent
GWANDA Town residents are facing a serious water shortage as the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) has introduced water rationing amid reports the municipality has failed to pay the water authority in the last two months.Most parts of the town have gone for at least five days without running water while some high lying areas have gone for almost a month without the precious liquid.
Responding to written questions from Chronicle, the water authority’s public relations manager Marjorie Munyonga confirmed that Zinwa has been rationing water supplies to Gwanda Municipality since Monday this week.
“We made this decision after Gwanda municipality failed to meet its obligations to Zinwa, in defiance of both their commitment to pay and a standing High Court Order.
“While the High Court order compelled Gwanda Municipality to remit 70 percent of its revenue realised from water sales to Zinwa every month, the local authority has not paid anything to us since their last payment in August.
“It is solely for this breach of their commitment and the High Court order that Zinwa has resorted to rationing supplies since resources for the continuance of a full service provision were running out,” she said.
Gwanda municipality owes Zinwa about $6 million in water bills.
The local authority reportedly affords to pay not more than $20,000 monthly to the water authority against the agreed $75,000.
In March this year, Zinwa was issued with a court order compelling them not to disturb the system of water supply in Gwanda.
“Before the water rationing started, Zinwa sent written correspondence to the municipality advising them of the impending action. Sadly, no response came from the municipality.
“Zinwa would like to appeal to Gwanda municipality to stick to their payment commitment and settle their outstanding amount for the benefit of the residents who are affected by the water rationing,” Munyonga said.
Zinwa also appealed to all local authorities that are in arrears to take practical steps towards the settlement of their debts.
The water authority is responsible for the administration of the water treatment plant and it sells treated water to the Gwanda municipality which then distributes the precious liquid to residents.
In the interim, Gwanda Municipality has been supplying residents with water in bowsers.
Residents are not happy with the water supply situation in their town.
“People are now travelling about four kilometres to Bina Mine to collect water because the municipality is only giving a family one bucket (25 litres) which we only use for drinking purposes. We now fear disease outbreaks,” said Ernest Zulu, Ward 5 chairperson of the Gwanda Residents Association.
On Wednesday, a police officer drowned while bathing in the Mtshabezi River with a friend. A number of residents were opting to bath in the river owing to the town’s water challenges.
Gwanda Town Clerk, Priscilla Nkala, said negotiations with Zinwa concerning the water problems were in progress.
“Zinwa has not given us any rationing schedule. They wanted us to pay some money,” said Nkala who could not give further details.
Residents owe the municipality more than $1 million in water bills and the municipality has since engaged private debt collectors, Majestic Debt Collectors and Tracing Agents, who are based in Bulawayo, in a bid to generate more revenue for the municipality.
Residents and businesspeople were served with demand letters to settle debts within three days.
Some of the residents have outstanding individual bills as high as $3,000.
Online Reporter