REDCLIFF – A potential epidermic looms over Redcliff, as the town has been hit by another water crisis, after its water supplies were disconnected by Kwekwe City Council over a ballooning debt.
The small Midlands town, which has faced a similar unenviable dilemma in the past, has been without water for days.
Redcliff, whose water is reported to be among the most expensive in Zimbabwe, buys this vital resource from the city of Kwekwe, which in turn, purchases it from the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa).
This precarious set up, has been for years a source of chagrin from the residents of Redcliff, who have demanded a change to the status quo, in favour of a more viable and sustainable option – with some even going as far as requesting for the City of Kwekwe to completely take over water supply and billing in Redcliff.
The involvement of so many players in the supply of what should have been the easiest resource to provide, is what has led Redcliff’s water to be so expensive, and be beyond the reach of most residents, many of whom relied on the now defunct Zimbabwean Iron and Steel Company (Ziscosteel) for their livelihoods, and now living in near abject poverty.
In what appears to be an insufferable irony, the town has a dam (Cactus) situated on the Kwekwe River.
Many residents have, thus, questioned why the town could not obtain its water supplies from the dam, a situation that would greatly reduce their water bills.
‘We really can’t afford this water. It’s too expensive. Most of us are suffering due to Ziscosteel’s closure. Government or council should come up with an alternative as a matter of urgency,’ said one resident.
The right to safe, clean and potable water is enshrined in Section 77 of Zimbabwe’s constitution, and Redcliff residents are shocked as to why measures to ensure that this is fulfilled are not been given the seriousness they deserve.
‘Going without water for days is a breach of this constitutional provision. We need a reliable, affordable and consistent water supply. This has become unbearable,’ bemoaned another resident.
In Torwood, a high density suburb of Redcliff, residents alleged that they have been without any tap water for years.
‘We pay water bills diligently, but there is no water that we get. An individual had to sink boreholes for us. How can we pay for a service we are not even getting?’
The threat of diseases, due to the lack of water, is now uppermost in Redcliff residents’ minds.
Memories of the 2008/09 cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe, which claimed the lives of about 4000 people, still haunt many.
‘This situation is scary. Toilets are clogged with human waste. The smell is unbearable. Some are now even resorting to using the bush. We hardly wash our hands before eating, as there is no water; and we haven’t bathed for days.
‘If nothing is done now to find a long term solution to this problem, then we are soon going to be faced with a disease outbreak,’ cried another resident.
Residents have called upon both national and local governments to urgently resolve the town’s water problem, through a permanent solution.
‘Let’s have a more affordable and sustainable arrangement. The current situation won’t solve anything because Redcliff water is just unaffordable. We can run around and pay City of Kwekwe today, but what about tomorrow? We are bound to be faced with the same situation again because we can’t afford it.’
According to the town’s director of finance, Gilson Chakauya, the town is billed US$160 000 per month by the City of Kwekwe, yet Redcliff municipality only receives US$30 000 per month from residents and corporates.
He added that in this current dilemma, City of Kwekwe needs to be paid US$60 000 for pumps and US$120 000 for water treatment chemicals, yet Redcliff has only paid US$10 000 so far.
‘We have issued an urgent appeal to residents to pay US$10 each, in the hope that we will be able to raise enough from the 9155 households in the town, to negotiate with City of Kwekwe,’ said Chakauya.
Post published in: Featured