Staff Writer
After given a 72 hours ultimatum to come up with clear strategy on how to fix sewer challenges or face demonstrations, Chitungwiza Municipality said while it acknowledges the perennial sewer blockages, a challenge it is working flat out to address-a long lasting solution can only be attained if there is adequate water supply in the town.
This was after Zimbabwe National Organization of Associations and Residents Trust (ZNOART) raised concern over the persistent sewer blockages being experienced in town.
In a statement, ZNOART national chairman Shalvar Chikomba said:
“The Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and Residents Trust (ZNOART) expresses deep concern and disappointment over the persistent sewer crisis affecting residents in Chitungwiza, particularly in areas such as Unit A, St Mary’s, and Zengeza, where raw sewage continues to flow into homes, streets and public spaces.
“Residents are being forced to live under dangerous and inhumane conditions, with burst sewer pipes becoming a daily reality across the town. It is unacceptable that families are now navigating streams of waste with an unsettling sense of normalcy — hanging laundry, selling vegetables, commuting to work, and allowing children to play near contaminated water carrying serious health risks including cholera, typhoid and other waterborne diseases.”
Chikomba added the local authority has failed to address the sewer challenges.
“The Municipality of Chitungwiza has already acknowledged that the sewer infrastructure, dating back to the 1970s, is severely overwhelmed and no longer capable of serving the growing population. Despite this admission, residents continue to suffer without a lasting and visible solution.”
Chikomba said residents are giving the local authority 72 hours ultimatum to come up with a clear programme and solution to end the sewer crisis.
“ZNOART hereby gives the Municipality of Chitungwiza a strict 72-hour ultimatum to present residents with a clear, practical and actionable solution to the sewer crisis affecting the town.
“Failure to do so will leave residents with no option but to mobilise and demonstrate against the municipality at the Chitungwiza Council Head Offices. Residents are tired of the continued negligence, poor service delivery and the health hazard caused by burst sewer pipes everywhere,”said Chikomba.
In an interview with The Blast, Chitungwiza Municipality Public Relations Officer, Tafadzwa Kachiko said the local authority was banking on the completion of the long awaited Kunzvi dam and opening of its own water source as solution of addressing sewer challenges.
“These challenges of sewer are not affecting the entire town, but are largely confined to specific hotspots which are receiving continuous attention,”said Kachiko.
“Council is actively responding through regular deblocking exercises and the replacement of old concrete pipes with new and more durable infrastructure. The laying of new pipes is expected to provide significant relief and improve the efficiency of the sewer system,”he said.
Kachiko said the long term solution to the sewer challenges can only be achieved through adequate water supplies for the town.
“That said, a long-term and sustainable solution can only be achieved through the availability of adequate conventional water supply. Improved water availability, coupled with positive behavioural change by residents in the use of sewer infrastructure, will ensure that these interventions produce meaningful and lasting results.
“Chitungwiza Municipality has consistently advocated for its own reliable water source (Muda-Nyatsime dam) and remains optimistic that ongoing national projects, particularly the construction of Kunzvi Dam, will greatly improve water supply to the town and contribute towards permanently addressing sewer challenges,”said Kachiko.