MUTARE Mutare City Council is battling to repair water pipes that burst last week near the Odzani Water Works, plunging the city into a serious water crisis.The city engineer, Donald Nyatoti, said that the burst pipes were caused by old main feeder lines that supply the city.
The bursts were a result of the pipes that have outlived their design life spans. The two pipes that supply the city from Odzani Water Works are aged. They are very old lines which need replacement.
He added that the pipes have an average design life span of 40 years. The 18-inch pipe was laid down in the early 1960s while the 24-inch one was put around the 1970s.
He said water supplies were expected to be back to normal next week.
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We are not sleeping. We are working overtime to repair the pipes. I hope that next week the water supplies will improve. But, I think the best way is to put new pipes, said Nyatoti.
Desperate residents are spending the greater part of their time fetching water from the few boreholes dotted around the city. Concerned residents have urged the council to speed up the repairs of the water pipes.
There are fears that there might be an outbreak of waterborne diseases, especially in areas where residents still use community toilets.
Post published in: Analysis