Back to Index

Fear of disease outbreak due to sewage in yards
Amanda Bango, The Chronicle
February 04, 2008

http://www.chronicle.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=6796&cat=1

RESIDENTS in some parts of Bulawayo are living with sewage in their yards, which they fear could result in them contracting diseases.

Mrs Virginia Ndlovu of Magwegwe North said she and several neighbours began living with sewage in their yards two months ago.

"We reported that we had a blocked sewer pipe to council officials two months ago and so far nothing has been done. We fear an outbreak of disease in the area, particularly among our children who are not fully aware of the dangers of playing with the contaminated water," she said.

Mr Walter Maseko also told the Chronicle that his family was finding it difficult to live in their house, part of which was recently flooded with sewage.

"We cannot even use the bathroom because sewage is spewing from it. The smell is terrible and we have tried to stop its flow with sand. We reported the matter to the local authority but they told us that they could not attend to the problem because they did not have protective clothing," he said.

A Bulawayo City Council spokesman, Mr Pathisa Nyathi, said the local authority was aware of the problem.

"There is a backlog of repair of blocked sewers and this is a problem that we are aware of. Right now, residents will find that they will be put on a waiting list for the repair of sewers because we do not have adequate personnel to carry out this job due to poor remuneration," said Mr Nyathi.

"In the past, these teams used to work overtime and over weekends but this is no longer happening because the incentives are not attractive. We also do not have adequate vehicles for this purpose," he added.

He urged residents to be patient as the pipes will eventually be repaired.

Mr Nyathi also said a crippling cash shortage was affecting the local authority’s ability to provide essential services.

"The tariffs that residents are paying are last year’s, as our budget has not been approved by the National Incomes and Pricing Commission (NIPC), hence the local authority finds itself without adequate money to provide the usual services.

"The local authority is now spending $520 billion weekly for water treatment chemicals and we simply cannot afford to repair potholes, collect refuse frequently and the provision of other services is also being affected as well," he said.

Mr Nyathi revealed that only two ambulances out of the 20-strong fleet were serving the city.

"Our ambulance fleet is grounded now with only two ambulances to respond to emergencies due to a shortage of fuel.

"Only women with pregnancy complications and victims of road traffic accidents are being responded to," he said.

He said it would be ideal for the Government to allow local authorities to constantly review their budgets throughout the year to enable them to continue providing essential services to residents in the prevailing hyper-inflationary environment. "As a local authority, we now cannot afford to draw up a budget for the entire year due to the hyper-inflationary environment prevailing in the country.

"It is unsustainable and affects the activities of council negatively. Instead, budgets should be constantly reviewed throughout the year and the NIPC should approve budgets faster to enable us to provide services for residents," he said.

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP