Government drills boreholes in Mutare

Community News
MUTARE – Government has started drilling boreholes in Chikanga and Dangamvura to address the water crisis that has been affecting the two suburbs for a long time, a cabinet minister said last week.

MUTARE – Government has started drilling boreholes in Chikanga and Dangamvura to address the water crisis that has been affecting the two suburbs for a long time, a cabinet minister said last week.

BY CLAYTON MASEKESA

National Housing and Social Amenities minister, Giles Mutsekwa said his ministry was working with the Ministry of Water Resources Development and Management to sink boreholes in suburbs that were facing water problems.

Boreholes have already been sunk at some schools in the two suburbs.

“It is sad that people in Dangamvura and Chikanga do not have water at all,” he said.

“We hope that we will cover all areas. We have spoken with the Ministry of Finance through its minister, Tendai Biti and funds will be channelled towards the rehabilitation of the water pipes and bring water to the people.”

Water Resources Development and Management minister, Samuel Sipepa-Nkomo said access to clean water was a basic human right.

“I am disappointed by the unavailability of water in some high-density suburbs in the eastern border city,” he said. “I think this is linked to the misuse of funds that would have been allocated by my ministry for water development.”

Sipepa-Nkomo said the city council lost about US$330 000 that could have been used for water reticulation last year following “a dubious” tendering process involving a Harare company for the supply of water pipes.

“There are some occasions where money meant for water projects has not been spent properly. From now on, my ministry will supervise water projects in Mutare,” he declared.

“I am not happy with how the money allocated for water is being used. The Dangamvura water project should move with speed and my ministry will work with council to see its completion.

“If we are given money, let us use it as required without exposing ourselves through corruption.”

Mutare City Council has suspended three senior officers over a botched water pipe deal that saw the local authority losing about US$330 000.

Frustrated residents said council should expedite the completion of the city’s water rehabilitation project.

residents have no access to running water

RESIDENTS in Mutare say they have endured years without access to clean running water despite being levied water and service charges every month.

They have expressed disgruntlement at the failure by Mutare City Council to provide them with water.

Council embarked on a water and sewer reticulation project in 1999 but the project has been stalled due to lack of funding.

Last year, the local authority received US$3 million from the Ministry of Finance to upgrade its water and sewer reticulation system.

City engineer, Donald Nyatoti said: “We have been facing some logistics and financial challenges but we promise that the project will soon be completed.”

Lately a number of local authorities have been failing to provide water resulting in waterborne disease outbreaks.