Gweru to raise $43m for sewer treatment plants

GWERU City Council has gone on the market to raise $43 million required for the refurbishment of its two sewer treatment plants at Cambridgeshire and Outfall as well as seven pump stations, which have become obsolete.

Director of engineering services, Robson Manatsa said the amount of raw sewage received at the city's treatment plants had doubled, thereb,y clogging the system.

"Our sewer treatment plants receive 35 mega-litres of raw sewer, yet their total capacity is 18 megalitres," he said.

"The implication of this is that the quality of treatment is compromised by the overloading."

In 2016, the council was fined by the Environmental Management Agency after being found guilty of discharging 30 mega-litres of raw sewage from Cambridgeshire into the nearby streams.

Over the years, the city has been expanding against obsolete infrastructure, thereby, compromising on quality service delivery.

Last year, town clerk Elizabeth Gwatipedza said the local authority needed to adopt a strategic plan to enable provision of water and sewer reticulation services to new residential areas.

In recent years, the city has witnessed a sharp increase in development of residential stands, without a corresponding expansion of the sewer reticulation system.

Experts say the rapid expansion of urban areas has increased demand for water, which outstrips supply, a situation that can affect the sanitation and health if not properly handled.