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Richard Muponde, Gwanda Correspondent
THE Zimbabwe National Water Authority has shelved the use of pre-paid bulk meters it installed for Gwanda town temporarily breaking the impasse between the two parties.
However, Zinwa and the local authority are still fighting over control of the water treatment plant in the town. The water authority installed pre-paid bulk water meters for the town to force Gwanda Municipality to pay over $9,5 million owed to the authority, a development that did not go down well with the town management and residents.
Zinwa had given the municipality up to 21 October to pay the debt or risk paying for water upfront.
However, the local authority and Zinwa board members and management met on Tuesday where they both agreed that there was a problem in the water issue which needed a lasting solution.
The water authority’s delegation which was being led by its operations director, Engineer Israel Rwodzi backed down on the use of the pre-paid bulk water meters until the matter was finalised.
Gwanda town council delegation was led by Mayor Councillor Knowledge Ndlovu.
Clr Ndlovu on Friday confirmed meeting the delegation from Zinwa and the suspension of the use of the installed water meters.
“We met on Tuesday. They were three board members and representatives of the water authority’s management led by Eng Rwodzi. We managed to put them in the light and they conceded that indeed there was a problem but said they could not make final decisions on the whole issue. However, they agreed to suspend the use of the installed water meters temporarily ending the impasse,” said Clr Ndlovu.
He said as a council they took a position during the meeting that in the long term Zinwa should cede the water treatment plant to the municipality.
“They have also come to appreciate that the bulk water meters can only be useful when there are individual pre-paid meters installed for residents and hence they support us in that initiative of installing individual pre-paid meters first.
Administratively, we have engaged our parent ministry with the belief that at that level they will also engage their counterparts,” he said.
Clr Ndlovu added: “Council is also making engagements politically and at civic level as it lobbies for the eventual takeover of the treatment plant as council strongly believes this is the way to go for a sustainable service delivery.”
He also urged residents to settle water bills so that the supply of the commodity continues while the engagements are going on.
In the past weeks the water situation had reached a crisis level as Gwanda Provincial Hospital had stopped admitting patients and also discharged those who were in hospital due to water shortages.
Schools had also indicated that they might close if the situation was not rectified.
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