Bulawayo runs dry

SOME suburbs in Bulawayo have gone for three weeks without running water, amid fears of an outbreak of waterborne diseases.

For residents, who were already enduring a 72-hour water shedding, the local authority has failed them.

"This is the worst group of councillors ever to run Bulawayo and we are so ashamed that we have a failed leadership that has run down the city. How do we get to three weeks without water yet there is no word from councillors and no measures to mitigate the situation? We can't have service delivery falling to such levels and nobody says a thing when water of all the things is not there, this is a bad situation," said a resident.

"We have not even been told why we don't have water, but if you look at their water bills there are huge bills yet there is no water. How do we survive like that?  We are surviving on borehole water which is equally contaminated due to sewerage that is all over town this is a sad chapter for Bulawayo," said another.

Bulawayo Deputy Mayor, Councillor Mlandu Ncube acknowledged the challenge, saying it was due to vandalism at its main pumping station, "It is true that some areas have gone for over three weeks without water this is because of cables that have been stolen in our water treatment plant areas and other challenges and we are trying to rectify the situation."

The opposition-run council recently acknowledged failure in service delivery, including refuse collection, provision of water and timeously attending to burst sewerage pipes.