Government engages BCC over water in schools

Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter

THE Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is engaging the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) to ensure  uninterrupted water supplies in schools in the province ahead of the beginning of the third term on Tuesday.

The city is undergoing an intensive water-shedding programme that has seen some suburbs going for as much as three weeks without water with plans afoot to decommission two supply dams.

Director of Communication and Advocacy in the Ministry, Mr Taungana Ndoro said they were aware of the water crisis in Bulawayo and were consulting the council over the issue as part of efforts to avert diseases and ensure learning was not interrupted during the examination term.

“The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is aware of the ongoing water shedding programme in Bulawayo and the decommissioning of the Lower Ncema water supply. We are actively engaging with city officials to ensure that schools have access to water supply as they reopen on Tuesday. The Ministry is in discussions with city authorities to explore solutions for supplying water to schools, including prioritising educational institutions in the water distribution process,” said Mr Ndoro.

According to the Provincial Water Supply Restoration Strategy for Sunday 1 September and Monday, September 2  2024, the whole city had water supplies cut as the city was building reservoirs in preparation for the 120 hours-shedding schedule.

The expected decommissioning of Upper and Lower Ncema this month follows the decommissioning of Umzingwane Dam last year leaving the city with three out of six supply dams.

According to the latest council minutes, the city introduced a 120-hour water-shedding programme in December 2023 to manage dwindling water supplies. 

As the hotter months of August to November were approaching the Water and Sanitation Department conducted a thorough assessment of the current water situation.

The evaluation was meant to determine whether the existing 120-hour shedding programme remained sufficient to meet the city’s demand under the current water constraints.

The assessment indicated that more stringent measures were necessary to ensure water supplies last until the next rainy season, which begins in December 2024, the department proposed implementing a 144-hour water shedding programme.

Schools in Bulawayo have been encouraged to drill boreholes as a mitigatory measure to ensure there is adequate water supply.

“While not all schools currently have boreholes, we are conducting assessments to identify those that do and prioritise drilling new boreholes in schools that lack alternative water sources. We encourage schools to partner with parent assemblies to fundraise for the drilling of boreholes. This collaborative effort can not only provide a reliable water source but also foster a sense of community ownership and responsibility towards school resources,” said Mr Ndoro.

BCC Director of Health Services Dr Edwin Sibanda-Mzingwane said the department has been working with partners to improve sanitation in schools.

“We have worked with our partners at least from a health perspective and most schools now have a school health coordinator. These were trained in Water and Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) issues and a lot of schools have water storage tanks (that can hold water if supplied by BCC) while some have boreholes,” said Dr Sibanda-Mzingwane.

He, however, said supplying the more than 200 schools in Bulawayo with water via bowsers remains a challenge that the Director of Engineering Services is seized with.

Regarding the M-pox virus and the re-opening of schools, the Ministry said they were committed to ensuring the health and safety of all students, teachers and support staff.

“Our message to parents, teachers, and pupils is, stay informed, be aware of the symptoms and transmission of M-pox. Practice hygiene, emphasise regular handwashing and the use of sanitisers in schools. Encourage immediate reporting of any symptoms to school authorities for swift action. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide further guidance as necessary,” said Mr Ndoro.

Public Health experts continue to reiterate that the public must be vigilant in the face of an outbreak. 

Mr Itai Rusike, executive director of the Community Working Group on Health said the public must look out for correct information regarding the newly declared M-pox outbreak and maintain that an outbreak anywhere is potentially an outbreak everywhere as seen with Covid-19 pandemic.

“In line with the International Health Regulations, (IHR,2005,2012) the Ministry of Health and Child Care has issued a communique and the public should comply and be on the lookout for updates on the country’s strategy to address the disease. Risk factors do not necessarily include second-hand clothes but travel to or contact with persons coming from the affected countries. This means that the precautions for most Infectious diseases apply, maintaining good personal hygiene, avoiding unnecessary contact with suspected persons, maintaining infection prevention and control measures at family, community and health institution levels and handling animals safely,” said Mr Rusike. @NyembeziMu