Gweru's govt-sourced pumps break down

THREE of the four water pumps that were sourced by central government for the City of Gweru have broken down hardly a year after they were delivered by a South African company.

Government sourced the water equipment through the Local Government ministry at a cost of US$440 000 to boost the city's pumping capacity to 80 megalitres per day against a daily demand of 90 megalitres.

Mayor Josiah Makombe confirmed the breakdown of the pumps and said the COVID-19 pandemic had delayed a team of engineers from South Africa to travel to the Midlands capital to fix the pumps.

"We have three of the four pumps sourced by government from South Africa which are currently down," he said.

"What it means is that we are pumping with three pumps from Gwenoro Dam. The novel coronavirus has delayed the coming in of a team from South Africa to fix the water equipment."

Gweru residents said the pumps could have been of poor quality, hence could not cope with demand.

"How could the pumps break down so fast?" quizzed Gweru Residents Forum director Charles Mazorodze.

"There is strong reason to suspect the pumps do not meet the specifications of serving a big city."

Over the years, the city has been experiencing water bursts at its major pipes, a situation that often left residents without water for days on end.

The Midlands capital has also been facing serious water problems caused by ageing pumps and incessant electrical faults at its main supply dams.