Following the acute shortage of water and water treatment chemicals in Harare, the government intervened and pumped out 37.4 million dollars to address the issue. The situation in the capital had become so fatal that there was risk of water borne diseases spreading. The finance minister recently announced that government had also disbursed a further 72.3 million dollars to councills in other localities as they are facing similar problems.
The finance minister Mthuli Ncube stated,”Following government’s recent interventions in the city of Harare, it has come to our attention that other authorities face similar problems with regard to water and sewer provision within their localities”.
The minister attributed such problems to lack of investment by councils to rehabilitate and maintain infrastructure and assets. He also cited water losses resulting from such ignorance and non payment of bills by consumers as other causes of the problems.
There has been an acute shortage of water in Zimbabwe with most locations going for months without a single drop of water being availed. At one time, dirty water would come out of taps fuelling fears that there will be an outbreak of typhoid and cholera.
Councils allocated their share of the 72.3 million dollars include Norton Shurugwi, Bindura, Epworth, plumtree, Mutare and the notoriously corrupt run Chtungwiza council among others. The minister, however, reiterated that the rehabilitation process is not an overnight process. He said it will take time, effort and the input of other stakeholders to revamp the councils and bring an end to the water woes being experienced.
Most people expressed gratitude to government for lending a helping hand as the situation was getting out of control. Others claimed that councillors were not prioritising service delivery for their own selfish interests.
