Chitungwiza Faces Health Hazard
Chitungwiza town is sitting on a health time bomb as sewerage problems, hit the dormitory town.
Raw human excrement is flowing in many parts of the town, as we approach summer it is bad news, because it is the time when diarrhea diseases affect people most.
Acting Mayor Kiven Mutimbanyoka said they have asked central government for help.
“The sewerage problem need urgent attention, it is in bad condition.
“We received a donation from Africa Development Bank (ADBZ), it is unfortunate that the pipes can only cover 12 kilometers, our sewer network line is 600 kilometers.
“I have since raised the concern with the central government, pleading for finance to purchase pipes and everything required to fix the crisis,” he said this at one of his, ongoing engagement meetings with residents.
Some of the most affected areas are units G, N, F, O, L and St Mary’s.
Ward 16 councilor Fungayi Magadzire said replacing pipes is a noble idea but it needs financial injection.
“Devolution funds should also be added to solve the crisis that we have.
“People’s lives are at risk and the situation has also been exacerbated by lack of running water”.
Chitungwiza face perennial water shortages and as a result open defecation is rampant.
Councilor Musa Makweza (ward 19) said council should prioritise fixing main lines.
“Right now we have a crisis and health hazard looming so we should prioritise trunk lines not changing all the pipes”.
Council employees in the sewer department are said to be charging residents to attend, to bursts.
During our investigations we found out that this year alone, council employees managed to get two months salary, now we are in ninth month.
Ward 15 councilor Agrippa Makwavarara said, “the reason why council is responding late to sewer burst, it is because workers having not been receiving their salaries on time.
“Sometimes I folk out my money to hire private people to fix bursts”.
In 2008 the country faced, its worst cholera outbreak, that mainly affected Harare and Chitungwiza.