The Sunday News
Mildred Sithole, Midlands Reporter
PERENNIAL water woes in Gweru are far from over as it has emerged that the installation of water pumps that were bought by the Government to pump water from Amapongokwe Dam have been further delayed.
The dam is an alternative water source which is adjacent to Gwenhoro Dam which is the city’s main water source.
The dam is at 70 percent capacity which can sustain the city for the next eight months while Gwenhoro Dam which has been supplying Gweru is less than 12 percent.
The installation of the pumps was expected to be completed a week ago but council failed to finish the project resulting in most areas going without water.
The dire situation has been worsened by a diarrhoea outbreak in the city, raising fears of another typhoid outbreak which once hit the city last year claiming 10 lives.
The outbreak was attributed to negligence by council management after suspicion of cross-contamination of water pipes coupled with an unsafe water supply system.
Gweru Town Clerk Ms Elizabeth Gwatipedza conceded that the local authority’s failure to supply water to the city was one of the main causes of the diarrhoea outbreak that mainly affected Senga high density suburb whose greater population are students from Midlands State University.
“It (diarrhoea outbreak) is a combination of change of weather and shortage of water,” she said.
Ms Gwatipedza also said even if the four pumps were to be installed, the local authority has no capacity to supply water to the city unless it gets high lift pumps to pump water from the water works to the city.
She said the installation of the other two pumps will take another two weeks as the council is waiting for material procured from Germany.
Ms Gwatipedza said water rationing is expected to continue. The rationing has seen areas such as Ascot going for close to six months without water, posing a health hazard to residents.
“The contractor has successfully installed two pump sets and is looking forward to installing the remaining two in two weeks’ time once all the material have been received from Germany.
“Meanwhile, we would like to advise residents that water rationing will continue until the local authority procures high lift pumps to pump water from Gwenhoro water works to the city.
“As soon as the high lift pumps are procured the water rationing schedule will be reviewed to ease water shortages,” she said. Residents have blamed council for failing to adequately address the water challenge in the city.
The Government through the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing bought four water pumps for the city at a cost of US$440 000.
Ironically the local authority had earlier indicated that it required US$6 million for the pumps, raising suspicion of corruption.
Councillors recently cornered the council management over the criteria used in coming up with the ridiculous figure after Government purchased the same pumps for less than half a million dollars.
