Zinwa owed US$14m in unpaid bills

Agriculture Reporter
Farmers owe the Zimbabwe National Water Authority US$14 million in unpaid bills, the utility has said.
Many irrigating farmers in the seven catchment areas of Zimbabwe have not been paying for the service.
Zinwa public relations manager Mrs Marjorie Munyonga last week said they were failing to adequately prepare for the winter cropping season due to farmers’ non-payment.
“We are currently preparing for the winter cropping season through registering farmers for water use as well as maintaining water infrastructure like dams and canals.
“Our efforts are being hampered by the fact that we are owed over US$14 million dollars by farmers, hence we are unable to do all we are supposed to do,” Mrs Munyonga said.
She said farmers from the Runde catchment owed more than US$4 million while their colleagues in Sanyati had debts surpassing US$3 million.
Mazowe catchment farmers owe more than US$2 million while those in Save are also US$2 million in arrears.
Manyame farmers are still to pay US$1,5 million, while those in Mzingwane and Gwayi owe US$1 million and             US$500 000 respectively.
“We are, therefore, urging all farmers to pay or at least visit our offices so as to arrange payment plans. We do not want a situation whereby farmers are inconvenienced when the winter cropping season starts because the success of winter cropping is in the availability and consistent supply of water,” said Mrs Munyonga.
The 1998 Water Act mandates Zinwa to provide water to farmers for irrigation for a fee.
The money is used for maintenance and development of water infrastructure.