The Sunday News
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
WATER problems are set to ease in Lupane after completion of a US$3 million water and sewer reticulation project funded by the World Bank.
The World Bank extended funding to Lupane Local Board (LLB) in 2018, with seven other local authorities countrywide also getting various amounts for water reticulation. The funds were meant to focus on rehabilitation of existing water infrastructure and treatment plants as well as construction of reservoirs.
The Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) which is responsible for water management in Lupane and other local authorities, is the implementing partner. The Matabeleland North provincial capital has since erected three reservoirs dedicated to Lupane State University and residential areas. Responding to e-mailed questions, Zinwa corporate communications and marketing manager Mrs Marjorie Munyonga said residents now have continuous running water.
“The Lupane project, funded through the World Bank administered Zimbabwe Reconstruction Fund (Zimref) funds is now substantially complete and the water situation in Lupane has already significantly improved. The project involved rehabilitation of water supply system and reticulation extension in addition to construction of three water storage reservoirs. The completion of the project meant that an additional 908 stands could be connected to the water system and to date a total of 501 who had applied for new connections have been connected and are receiving water,” she said.
Mrs Munyonga said water supplies in Lupane Town had significantly improved including in areas that traditionally were not getting water before the project. What is only outstanding is the electrification of a power line to one of the reservoirs, though this will not affect the water situation in Lupane, Mrs Munyonga added.
LLB town secretary Mr Charlton Moyo confirmed that residents now have water on a daily basis. He said a reliable water supply system will reduce the practice of open defecation which has been a challenge over the years.
“The bulk of the work has been completed save for minor finishing touches but the reservoirs are already in use. There are several benefits that will accrue to the local authority with the reservoirs in place because it is now possible for residents to have a continuous supply of water. We are now doing a proper and conventional sewer reticulation system and we hope to connect all properties to the system. This will help reduce the number of residents depending on borehole water which we feel might sooner or later be contaminated since all houses are on septic tanks. So by completing this project we might eliminate fears of disease problems such as cholera,” said Mr Moyo.
He said the Local Board had also received more than $3 million in devolution funds which was used to purchase piping and other water reticulation materials. Lupane draws its water from the 40 million cubic metre Bubi-Lupane Dam, commissioned in 2012. Over the years, residents have been relying on two boreholes as Zinwa struggled to supply enough water to the town.
