THE cash-strapped Gwanda Town Council is again faced with a deepening water crisis amid revelations that the Zimbabwe Water Authority (Zinwa) has run out of funds to purchase water purification chemicals.
ALBERT NCUBE OWN CORRESPONDENT
Gwanda mayor Knowledge Ndlovu yesterday conceded that a water crisis was looming after Zinwa notified council that it had run out of water purification chemicals.
“Zinwa indicated to us it had run out of chemicals on Wednesday night,” said Ndlovu.
“We had an arrangement that they inform us a week before supplies run out so that we find an alternative and it’s unfortunate they did not do so.”
The water crisis comes less than two months after council approached Transport minister Obert Mpofu and sold him a commercial stand in a bid to raise money to settle part of a $5 million debt it owes Zinwa after the town had gone for two weeks without running water.
Signs that all was not well resurfaced last week when the town started experiencing erratic water supplies. From Tuesday to yesterday, the whole town had no water raising concerns of an outbreak of waterborne diseases.
More water purification chemicals are reportedly needed at this time as water is said to be heavily polluted due to heavy rains and Zinwa is failing to cope.
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Ndlovu said council had approached Blanket Mine which offered it 50 bags of water treatment chemicals to avert a serious water shortage.
“Unless we reach an agreement with Zinwa, the problem of water will persist,” said Ndlovu.
He said council had entered into an agreement with Zinwa to remit 70% of water revenue collected, but Zinwa was now demanding up to $60 000 per month. Zinwa bills Gwanda municipality up to $150 000 for water every month.
“The problem is that Zinwa is shifting goalposts and as council, we cannot afford to pay that much monthly.”
Although residents owed the municipality over $1 million in unpaid water bills, Ndlovu said they had no intentions of disconnecting supplies to recover the money.
He said council was providing water in bowsers until the problem is resolved and insisted that the lasting solution to the town’s water problems would be the takeover by council of the water treatment plant from Zinwa.
“Our problems would be over once we take over the plant because right now Gwanda is the most expensive town in terms of water,” Ndlovu added.
