Gwanda goes one month without water

GWANDA residents have gone for a month without water as the municipality and the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) tussle for control of the town's water treatment plant.

Zinwa and council are embroiled in a fight over water with the latter demanding the former to cede control of the town's water treatment facility.

The water authority responded by installing bulk prepaid water meters for the municipality to force it to pay a $10 million debt. The council says it owes Zinwa only $3 million.

As the two entities fight, the residents are on the receiving end as taps have run dry, posing a health hazard in a town which was once hit by cholera.

Gwanda mayor, Councillor Knowledge Ndlovu, confirmed that residents mostly in the high density suburbs have gone for a month without the precious liquid.

"I'm very much aware of the situation. What we can say is that before water rationing, Zinwa introduced prepaid bulk water meters and council was able to pay for different meters at a time and that automatically affected residents.

"When they introduced water rationing the situation became worse. It's very true residents have gone for a month without water," said Clr Ndlovu.

He said the remedy to the Gwanda water situation lay with the Minister of Environment, Water and Climate Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri and the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Saviour Kasukuwere.

Muchinguri-Kashiri intervened two weeks ago and directed Zinwa to resort to water rationing rather than water cuts.

However, the local authority said the intervention solved nothing, describing water rationing and water cuts as two sides of the same coin as they both deprive residents of Gwanda of the commodity.