News / Regional
Gwanda water troubles far from over
31 Aug 2015 at 13:56hrs | Views
Gwanda residents jostle for water from a private borehole - 2014
Residents of Gwanda town are far from getting a regular supply of water which has been in short supply for the last six weeks.
The Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) says that it is not considering reviewing the water rationing exercise to the Gwanda Municipality as a bid to push the local authority to make reasonable payments towards the $8 million debt Council owes to ZINWA.
ZINWA's UMzingwane catchment area manager Stanley Nazombe told media that the water authority was failing to acquire enough chemicals to process the water due to council's failure to pay for the service.
ZINWA is currently supplying the town with less than 25% of the water demanded by the town. This has led to most households never getting water and resorting to using the bush as toilets.
A number of residents have been spotted carrying bucket to fetch water from some unsafe sources. Last year a police officer drowned and died while bathing at the local Mtshabezi River after the town experienced the same water issues..
Mayor Knowledge Ndlovu said ZINWA was not being fair to the local authority as his Council has been paying ZINWA over $50 000 every month.
"What ZINWA is doing is very unfair because we are paying almost all our collection from water to them but they say the money is not enough," said Ndlovu.
Meanwhile the residents of the town are said to be meeting with an agenda to take the issue between ZINWA and Council into their own hands.
The Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) says that it is not considering reviewing the water rationing exercise to the Gwanda Municipality as a bid to push the local authority to make reasonable payments towards the $8 million debt Council owes to ZINWA.
ZINWA's UMzingwane catchment area manager Stanley Nazombe told media that the water authority was failing to acquire enough chemicals to process the water due to council's failure to pay for the service.
ZINWA is currently supplying the town with less than 25% of the water demanded by the town. This has led to most households never getting water and resorting to using the bush as toilets.
A number of residents have been spotted carrying bucket to fetch water from some unsafe sources. Last year a police officer drowned and died while bathing at the local Mtshabezi River after the town experienced the same water issues..
Mayor Knowledge Ndlovu said ZINWA was not being fair to the local authority as his Council has been paying ZINWA over $50 000 every month.
"What ZINWA is doing is very unfair because we are paying almost all our collection from water to them but they say the money is not enough," said Ndlovu.
Meanwhile the residents of the town are said to be meeting with an agenda to take the issue between ZINWA and Council into their own hands.
Source - Byo24News
