Residents spend 8 years living with raw sewage

A health disaster is looming at Lobengula suburb in Bulawayo as residents have been forced to live with raw sewage for more than eight years.

The residents have been forced to live with the unbearable stench for years despite having raised their concerns to the authorities.

In an interview, New Lobengula residents in the section popularly known as Ama 57' said their problem was slowly turning into a disaster.

"The stench is terrible. Back in the day before I was diagnosed with cancer on my leg and it was eventually amputated, I went to the city council and demanded that they fix these blockages. I even delivered a written letter to the engineering department but till today, we reside in the mess staring at human waste everyday," she said.

"Our houses are drenched in the sewer waste and soon enough they too will fall to the ground."

Residents in the area have dug trenches within their yards to allow the sewer to easily flow through their yards into water drainage trenches and to the middle of the road.

 Albert Ndlovu said the council should remove old pipes and replace with new ones at the same time attend to faulty areas.

"This is a recurring problem which we think should have been solved more than 8 years ago. The pipes are old and raw sewage is causing stench. We are in deep trouble as residents because when we get sick, we are no longer sure if sewer is the cause," said Ndlovu.

Ndlovu expressed his fears that the sewer would contaminate drinking water, causing a health disaster to residents.