The Sunday News
Sharon Chimenya, Masvingo Correspondent
MASVINGO City Council has paid $5 million to Zesa to ensure that the local authority gets uninterrupted power supply at its water treatment plant.
Zimbabwe Energy Transmission and Distribution Authority (ZETDC) Eastern Region general manager Engineer Milton Munodawafa said last week that the local authority has paid for the connection of the waterworks to the power line.
“City of Masvingo has paid the $5 million for the construction of another line at the Bushmead Water Works. We have Bushmead water treatment plant that feeds from another line and the Bushmead Raw Pumping site which was feeding from the substation that burnt down. We are constructing a line from Bushmead water treatment to the raw pumping station and that is the process that has been paid for by the Masvingo City Council and the works are expected to be completed this week,” he said.
Over the past months water supply in the city had been reduced to 15 mega litres from 30 mega litres per day as only one pump was being powered by the Clipsham line. The local authority has been running a tender for consultancy services for feasibility studies on alternative power sources at Bushmead Water Works. The initiative, if successful, will reduce the inconvenience on water supply whenever there is disruption in electricity supply.
Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Cde Ezra Chadzamira said service providers should work together to serve their clients and improve their livelihoods.
“The new dispensation prioritises service delivery by both Government and local authorities as it is key to the attainment of an upper middle-income economy as envisioned by His Excellency the President Mnangagwa. Stakeholders in the provision of essential services to residents should work as a team. We serve one client, the residents of Masvingo,” he said.
The water situation is expected to return to normal this week and the local authority has been urged to look for alternatives to cater for power outages.
“Residents should expect restoration of normal supplies by this weekend. I urge Zesa and Masvingo City to consider procurement of a standby generator to cater for power outages as a result of faults and load shedding. Stakeholders in the provision of essential services to residents should work as a team.
We serve one client, the residents of Masvingo. I therefore look forward to the resumption of normal water supplies to the residents of Masvingo beginning this weekend as assured by both Zesa and Masvingo City officials,” said Cde Chadzamira.
