When will Gwanda's water issues be solved??

The water administration wars between the Municipality of Gwanda and the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) appear never ending.

Gwanda has no steady water yet again with some areas on day number six with no drop of piped water. Reason; ZINWA is yet again limiting water supplies to the residents in a bid to force council to pay them $75 000 of an outstanding debt.

Gwanda town has not had a steady supply of water from ZINWA since September last year after the Ministry of Local Government scratched off residents' in the run up to the July 31 elections. The Municipality of Gwanda owes ZINWA $5 million while residents owe council $1 million dollars even after more than $3 million was written off less than a year ago.

In an interview the Mayor of the town Councillor Knowledge Ndlovu indicated that the only way that the Gwanda water woes will ever be solved is through ZINWA releasing the water treatment plant to Council.

"An undertaking is in place for ZINWA to hand over the water treatment plant to council but the logistics around the $5 million debt are crippling the whole exercise," said Ndlovu.

"ZINWA demands that we pay them $75 000 per month towards the debt but our collections can only afford us to pay $20 000. This is why ZINWA is restricting water supply to the residents," added Ndlovu.

In an interview, Spokesperson for the Gwanda Residents Association Mr Bekezela Maduma Fuzwayo said that the issue between ZINWA and Council has dragged on for too long and digging into the residents' patience.

"This issue has dragged on for too long and residents are now losing patience about it. Council needs to understand that as residents we are behind them on this issue as our city fathers and if ZINWA is not coming to board its time Council engages us and allow us to deal with ZINWA once and for all as residents."

"Council must just never forget that they have a constitutional and legal mandate to make sure that as residents we are supplied with water and the longer they dilly dally and not involve us in trying to sort the issue the more it drags us to taking action against council instead of working with them," he added.

In the recent last episode of water cuts by ZINWA which lasted close to two weeks, several operations in the town were affected leading to a near halt of the town. The JMN Poly technical College was on the verge of closing down as the college administration claimed they could no longer continue housing students with no water.

A visit to Gwanda Hospital by Bulawayo24 revealed that the hospital was also on the verge of closing the wards as there was no water to do laundry of the linen and bedding. Patients admitted at the hospital during that period were being ordered to bring their own bedding and water supply. Several food and beverage outlets in the town temporarily closed or scaled down operations over the two week period as hygiene would not allow them to operate.

A resident at Spitzkop North extension who was interviewed while queuing for water which was expected to be brought in a council water bowser lamented at council for not informing them where the problem was.

"We just wake up to dry pipes and council just doesn't bother to tell us where the problem is and how long it will last. So we wake up to come and wait here for the water bowser but as you can see since morning we have been waiting here and no water has been brought for us," she said.

Scores of both young and old people of both sexes were seen by Bulawayo24 rushing into the nearest available bushy area to answer the call of nature creating a health disaster time bomb waiting to burst.

In the meanwhile, all water sources for the Town remain way above 90% of capacity meaning that there is more than enough water to last the town until the next rain season.