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Thupeyo Muleya
Beitbridge Bureau
THE Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) has cut bulk raw water supplies to Beitbridge Municipality for the second time in three months over an outstanding ZiG2,7 million debt it has been struggling to recover.
ZINWA spokesperson Mrs Marjorie Munyonga said the local authority’s unsustainable payment pattern caused Zinwa to cut water supplies.
“ZINWA is no longer in a position to meet the obligations associated with the consistent supply of raw water to Beitbridge, including electricity as well as repairs and maintenance hence the authority has decided to disconnect water supplies to Beitbridge until such a time the municipality services its arrears,” she said.
“The authority hopes that the local authority ensures viable and consistent payments for uninterrupted service. ZINWA wishes to reiterate a strong relationship exists between paying for water and improved service delivery. ZINWA bills the municipality an average of ZiG550 000 for their monthly bulk raw water requirements. The local authority has been making monthly payments averaging ZiG140 000, resulting in their outstanding bills accumulating to ZiG2 711 362,80 million”.
Mrs Munyonga said that under the current arrangement, ZINWA pumps raw water from the Limpopo River into off-river storage dams that supply the municipality’s water treatment plants. In the process, she said, the authority incurs electricity as well as operations and maintenance costs to keep supplies to Beitbridge which costs should be covered by payments by the municipality.
The raw water from the Limpopo River is also supplemented by releases from Zhovhe Dam.
Online Reporter