happiness Chikwanha
Lawrence Chitumba, Correspondent
BINDURA Municipality has come up with a $19 million budget for the 2019 financial year with the larger chunk of the budget going towards the provision of portable water, sanitation and public lighting.
Speaking on the sidelines of a recent full council meeting, Bindura Municipality mayor Councillor Carlos Tokyo, said $10 million would be sourced through rates payments and $5m would be borrowed from the open market.
He said $3,5m would come from Government’s infrastructure development grant since the council’s books were in order and their financial management was top notch.
He said according to the budget, council was planning to use $8,5m of the budget to draw water for its water treatment plant from Masembura Dam as water from Mazowe River which they were currently using was heavily contaminated and costly to treat the water. He said the cost of treating the water equates those of Bulawayo city which is much larger.
“We have proposed a $19m budget for the year 2019 and most of the budget will be channeled towards water, sanitation and public lighting, with some of the money being earmarked for the purchase of a refuse compactor, fire-tender and a higher up for repairing street lights,” he said.
“We are planning to use $8, 5m to draw our water from Masembura Dam and expand our water treatment plant. We are running away from Mazowe River water supplies because the cost of treating the water is too high and equates to those incurred by Bulawayo City. If you compare us with Bulawayo you find that we are too small, but the costs are the same.
“This will enable us to increase water supply to residents from the current 14 megalitres to 28 megalitres. We will also expand or upgrade our sewer treatment plant as you know if you increase the input of water you also have to so increase the output so we will have to tap in new technology which is more efficient and occupies less space.”
Bindura town clerk Mr Shangwa Mavesera bemoaned the discrepancy between foreign currency and RTGS which he said was crippling their plans to provide quality service to residents.
He said when they wanted to order a refuse compactor the supplier said he now wanted US$80 000 and a top up with RTGs up from the initial amount they had agreed and as a local authority there was no way they could raise that amount.
He said there was need for dialogue around that area so that local authorities are given priority when it comes to foreign currency allocations.
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