There is a public outcry over the recent Zimbabwe National Water Authority ban on the drawing of bulk water from boreholes.
By Our Staff
The Standard was last week inundated with calls from Harare residents who described the decision as illegal.
They said the decision was being implemented hastily without planning or taking into consideration the failure by Zinwa itself and local authorities to deliver water to the populace.
Zinwa in a statement last week said all bulk water supplies were to register and pay for their operations at various designated points in areas such as Dema and Juru which are a bit far from Harare.
They also said drawing of water in bulk from boreholes in residential areas had been banned with effect from October 1.
A resident said: “Firstly, Zinwa’s levy has not even been gazetted and nobody is sure of its legality as the decision was implemented in a matter of days without any foresight or planning on how the logistics and financing of this might work.
“People need to be given three to six months’ notice, and the system needs to be clear and transparent – not the extortionate rates they are charging. Zinwa is also failing to deliver municipal water and that has nothing to do with the customer.”
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Environment, Water and Climate Change Ministry permanent secretary, Prince Mupazviriho wrote to the different Zinwa catchment areas on September 23 instructing them to take over the management of boreholes on behalf of government with immediate effect.
“This decision has been necessitated by the need to protect our finite groundwater resources which are at risk of being mined by the commercial water operators,” reads the letter.
“You are further advised to take all necessary steps to monitor water levels and water quality and ensure that groundwater resources are not depleted. This move is a joint operation with Zinwa.”
He instructed that an amount of US$3 be charged per 1 000 litres of water abstracted.
“The ministry, sub-catchment councils and Zinwa are to take one dollar each from the above charge,” Mupazviriho wrote.
But many people, especially those with boreholes or relying on buying bulk water described the move as “blatantly illegal”.
