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Cholera death toll rises in Budiriro
Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)
November 03, 2008

ZINWA's chronic failure to adequately supply residents in the city of Harare with clean water and effectively manage the sewer system has seen more residents losing their lives to cholera. CHRA has received information that 4 deaths related to cholera infections have been recorded in Budiriro over a period of two days. However, there is a possibility that the figures are conservative as there is high possibility that there are some unreported cases. The cholera death toll in the city is now above 20, over a period of 2 months.

Residents in Budiriro and other residential areas like Mabvuku, Glenview, Dzivarasekwa, Tafara, Ruwa, Masasa Park and others have resorted to fetching water from shallow and unprotected wells as a result of the persistent water shortages. Sewer bursts are rife and they are not timeously (those that have been) attended to by the ZINWA officials. The shortage of water coupled with the polluted environment in which raw sewer flows through homes and along paths and roads, has resulted in cholera and other related disease outbreaks.

Meanwhile, the CHRA Coordinator for Dzivarasekwa ward 40 has said that residents in his area have also succumbed to the disease and most cases have not been reported to the local clinic as there are no medicinal drugs and adequate staff at the Dzivarasekwa clinic. He said that a family of 15 in Dzivarasekwa 2 has been infected with cholera and has not received medical attention due to drug and medical staff shortages at the local clinic.

The disease outbreaks occur against the background of macro economic collapse and brain-drain which have seen the country's clinics and hospitals turning into mere death beds. The few private medical practitioners in the country charge in foreign currency, mainly US$ which is beyond the reach of many. Most of the affected residents are middle class who reside in high density areas and cannot afford to sink private boreholes or even buy water from those who see business at the expense of their plight. These are the very people whom ZINWA has continued to tax but depriving them of water at the same time.

The Combined Harare Residents Association warned of the ZINWA takeover of the city's water supply and sewer management from the City of Harare and continues to insist that the beleaguered parastatal cannot deliver and has to return the water and sewer management to the City Council. CHRA dismisses the defacto Minister of Health and ZANU PF`s crocodile tears and grandstanding in trying to appear as if they are concerned about the health of residents at a time when some have already died due to the pandemic that has been looming for the better part of the year. The issue of cholera outbreak has been a time bomb that has been waiting to explode and it should have been dealt with in its early stages late last year. Providing water bowsers to residents is just a cosmetic and temporary measure. Residents have always pointed out that the root cause of the cholera calamities is ZINWA and that it should be disbanded as a matter of urgency but all these concerns fell on deaf ears. The arrogance and intransigence of these defacto Ministers really spells more deaths and suffering for the residents.

CHRA calls for the return of the water and sewer reticulation services to the City of Harare before more lives are lost. The Association will continue to rally behind residents and mobilize them to demand clean water, a clean environment and condemn the deprivation thereof. The residents of Harare and Zimbabweans at large cannot stand and watch a defacto government trampling upon innocent people and violating their rights through misguided and disastrous policies like the ZINWA takeover of water and sewer services from the City of Harare.

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