The pledge by DFID will cover the next 12 months and is expected to benefit 14 000 people. DFID head, Jane Rintoul said the support was meant to protect vulnerable urban communities.
“The UK has pledged $5.6 million support over the next 12 months to increase the level of water and sanitation services in Bulawayo to help protect the most vulnerable urban communities in response to the recent water shortages.
“We expect 140,000 people to benefit directly from improved services and the rest of the city to benefit indirectly. This is part of the UK’s total aid package of $ 133 million (£83 million) this year in Zimbabwe,” said Rintoul.
The support programme will see the drilling of new boreholes as well as the repairing of existing ones, rehabilitation of sewage works, among other programmes meant to improve service delivery in Bulawayo.
“The project will be delivered by World Vision International, working with Medair International and Dabane Trust, who together will: build seven new boreholes; repair seven existing boreholes; restore the Criterion Water Treatment Works to 100% production capacity," read a statement from the DFID The project, the DFID said, will aim to “rehabilitate five sewage treatment ponds and three sewers; replace at least 60km of old pipes; improve water storage and sanitation facilities in 80 schools and social centres; deliver health education programmes to over 75,000 children”.
The DFID said the project will ‘’assess the cholera preparedness of health facilities; and carry out a study of the ground water in Bulawayo and adjacent aquifers to determine safe and sustainable extraction rates’’.
Last year, the UK launched a $50 million programme through UNICEF to support the provision of water and sanitation in 30 rural districts in five of Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces including those surrounding Bulawayo.
The DFIDF announced yesterday that separate UK support through the African Development Bank will go towards improving water and sewage in six other major cities and improving the environmental performance of Hwange Power Station.
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