News / National
Bulawayo sewer ponds condemned
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Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has reported a worsening sewage crisis, with all sewage ponds in the city having collapsed, resulting in a surge in pipe bursts.
"We have got a major problem with sewage. We have eight sewage ponds in the city and none of them is working. Hence that is our purpose as the local authority to try and get them working," Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart told NewsDay.
The mayor emphasized the urgent need for collaboration between residents and the local authority to address the crisis. "But it is a big problem and I appeal to all of you to help us because some of those blockages are caused by our negligence. We dump litter, plastic bottles, cutlery into the system and they block the pipes," he said.
Coltart pleaded with residents to adopt better waste management practices, stressing the importance of collective efforts to clean up the city.
Ward 22 councillor Mmeli Moyo echoed concerns about insufficient resources for maintaining sewer systems, noting a shortage of maintenance tools. "We are supposed to have 40 of those wires but we are just managing the city with only six," Moyo said.
Water shortages were also highlighted as a major contributing factor to sewage issues. Ward 25 councillor Aleck Ndlovu noted that prolonged water-shedding hours frequently lead to sewer blockages in the city.
In 2022, Bulawayo councillors proposed hiring community plumbers to address pipe bursts. However, council has faced challenges due to ageing water and sewage reticulation infrastructure, with council minutes highlighting concerns about the increasing frequency of sewage pipe bursts, which could lead to disease outbreaks such as cholera.
Despite a council requirement for plumbers to possess a motor vehicle and necessary equipment, councillor Silas Chigora suggested relaxing some of these requirements to address the manpower shortage.
In 2021, an estimated US$500 million was needed over a 20-year period to upgrade the city's water and sewage infrastructure. However, with Bulawayo receiving an average of 90 pipe burst complaints daily, council struggles to address the issue in a timely manner, resulting in backlogs and exposing residents to potential waterborne diseases.
In 2020, a diarrhoea outbreak in Luveve claimed the lives of 13 individuals and infected thousands, linked to contaminated potable water due to burst sewage pipes.
"We have got a major problem with sewage. We have eight sewage ponds in the city and none of them is working. Hence that is our purpose as the local authority to try and get them working," Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart told NewsDay.
The mayor emphasized the urgent need for collaboration between residents and the local authority to address the crisis. "But it is a big problem and I appeal to all of you to help us because some of those blockages are caused by our negligence. We dump litter, plastic bottles, cutlery into the system and they block the pipes," he said.
Coltart pleaded with residents to adopt better waste management practices, stressing the importance of collective efforts to clean up the city.
Ward 22 councillor Mmeli Moyo echoed concerns about insufficient resources for maintaining sewer systems, noting a shortage of maintenance tools. "We are supposed to have 40 of those wires but we are just managing the city with only six," Moyo said.
Water shortages were also highlighted as a major contributing factor to sewage issues. Ward 25 councillor Aleck Ndlovu noted that prolonged water-shedding hours frequently lead to sewer blockages in the city.
In 2022, Bulawayo councillors proposed hiring community plumbers to address pipe bursts. However, council has faced challenges due to ageing water and sewage reticulation infrastructure, with council minutes highlighting concerns about the increasing frequency of sewage pipe bursts, which could lead to disease outbreaks such as cholera.
Despite a council requirement for plumbers to possess a motor vehicle and necessary equipment, councillor Silas Chigora suggested relaxing some of these requirements to address the manpower shortage.
In 2021, an estimated US$500 million was needed over a 20-year period to upgrade the city's water and sewage infrastructure. However, with Bulawayo receiving an average of 90 pipe burst complaints daily, council struggles to address the issue in a timely manner, resulting in backlogs and exposing residents to potential waterborne diseases.
In 2020, a diarrhoea outbreak in Luveve claimed the lives of 13 individuals and infected thousands, linked to contaminated potable water due to burst sewage pipes.
Source - newsday
