Flooding forces Gwanda water treatment plant shutdown

The Municipality of Gwanda has confirmed a temporary disruption to water supplies after flooding at Mtshabezi Bridge damaged critical infrastructure at the town's water treatment plant.

In a statement, Gwanda mayor Thulani Moyo said the flooding had affected key electro-mechanical components, forcing authorities to shut down the plant to allow for urgent repairs.

"The Municipality of Gwanda wishes to inform its esteemed residents and stakeholders that there is a temporary disruption in water supply across the town," he said.

"This interruption has been necessitated by recent flooding, and our water treatment plant has been severely affected. The flooding has impacted some of the electro-mechanical components, requiring a complete shutdown of the treatment plant."

Residents have been urged to conserve available water supplies and turn to alternative sources such as community boreholes during the outage.

Authorities also warned that water collected from alternative sources should be boiled or treated before use as a precautionary health measure.

The municipality apologised for the disruption, assuring residents that efforts are underway to restore normal services as quickly as possible.

"We are committed to restoring normal service in the shortest possible timeframe and will provide further updates as the work nears completion," Moyo said.

The incident highlights the vulnerability of essential services to extreme weather events, as communities across the region continue to grapple with the effects of heavy rains and flooding.