Raw sewage flowing into houses

Residents of Mupurwa and Gaudya streets in Harare's Mufakose high density suburbs are sitting on a health time bomb as a serious sewer blockage at the intersection of the two roads has resulted in raw sewage flowing into their houses.

The residents have resorted to scooping sewer water out of their houses with bare hands without any protection.

Raw effluent overflows have now become a part of the residents of Mufakose's everyday life.

The rains have not made the situation any better and the affected people say they are now living in fear of water-borne diseases.

They complain of having made several reports to council, but the problem has not been attended to by the authorities.

Sewage contains a wide-range of contaminants and presents a health hazard if humans come into contact with it.

The situation is so bad that even at night residents have to wake up and scoop sewage with bare hands to prevent it from spreading to other inner rooms.

The toilets are overflowing rendering them impossible to use. The smell of excrement is hanging over the neighborhood and one can only wonder how people residing in the area are able to cook and eat in such an environment.

Burst sewer pipes expose residents to infections and diseases such as typhoid, dysentery and cholera and if the relevant authorities' City of Harare does not intervene as a matter of urgency, disease outbreaks will continue to be reported.

Dump sites that are common in the area also present a serious health challenge as flies now have a convenient breeding place.