BULAWAYO The citys water and sewage reticulation system needs a complete overhaul because it is old, dilapidated and overburdened by a growing population, an Environment Management Agency (EMA) official has said.
EMA Bulawayo provincial chairperson, Chipo Zuze-Mpofu, said the city’s sewage treatment system had outlived its life span and was a ticking time bomb that needed to be defused.
“The current systems were meant for a much smaller population and thus are being overwhelmed and overworked by an expanding population. Urban migration and natural growth have seen population outgrowing our sewage systems,” said Zuze-Mpofu.
She said it was almost impossible for the council to devise new routes for the sewer system or attempt to upgrade it.
Zuze-Mpofu said that as EMA, they were especially worried about the state of the environment and would not hesitate to act as the mouthpiece for the residents if there was a threat to that environment.
“If anything is a danger to the environment we surely will raise our voice because we believe failure by the local authority to provide a safe environment for its citizens is certainly a violation of their rights,” she said.
When contacted for comment, Bulawayo Mayor, Councillor Thaba Moyo, said the council was aware that the sewer system needed a complete overhaul, but said this was being complicated by the lack of resources.
“We all know that the sewer reticulation system needs a complete overhaul but we are being frustrated by the lack of resources, the council is literally broke and is now banking on donor funding,” said Moyo.
In a study by the Bulawayo Sewerage Task Force (BSTF), last year, it was established that the Bulawayo City Council needed about US$19 million for it to rehabilitate the city’s sewer system.
Post published in: Analysis