By Simbarashe Sithole
CENTENARY residents are enduring a worsening water crisis following six consecutive days without supplies from the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa), amid growing concerns over billing irregularities and frequent service interruptions.
Centenary Residents Association chairman Gift Sibiya said the community was frustrated by persistent water shortages, with residents barely enjoying three consecutive days of uninterrupted supply before another breakdown occurs.
He said the situation had deteriorated, with residents going for six days without water despite assurances from Zinwa that the electricity payment challenges affecting pumping operations had been addressed.
“We are experiencing persistent water challenges in Centenary. It has become a routine that we get water for about three days before experiencing four days of breakdowns. Now we have gone for six consecutive days without water,” Sibiya said.
“Zinwa’s explanation was that there was no electricity because they had not paid for electricity tokens. It was only on November 11 that they acknowledged having paid for the tokens, but up to now, nothing is coming out of the taps.”
Sibiya said Zinwa had also blamed the shortages on outstanding water bills owed by residents, but claimed that nearly 90 percent of the community was disputing the alleged arrears.
He questioned the authority’s billing system, saying some residents, including prominent businesspeople, had their water supplies disconnected after accumulating bills they considered excessive.
Even the local councillor, he said, had reportedly experienced disconnection over disputed water charges.
“The billing system is another major concern. Zinwa says residents owe it money, but almost 90 percent of residents are disputing those bills. Some businesspeople have had their water disconnected because of what they regard as excessive bills. Even our local councillor has faced the same situation,” he said.
Sibiya said residents had repeatedly called on Zinwa to introduce prepaid water meters to improve transparency, address billing disputes and ensure consumers paid for water according to their actual usage.
However, he said the authority had continued making promises without implementing the proposed system.
The crisis has been worsened by the prevailing heatwave, which has increased demand for water and placed enormous pressure on the only available borehole in the area.
Sibiya said the borehole was now overwhelmed, forcing some residents to seek water from unprotected sources, exposing families, particularly children, to potential waterborne diseases.
“With the current heatwave, the only borehole we have is overwhelmed. People are now resorting to collecting water from unprotected sources, which puts their lives, especially those of children, at risk,” he said.
He appealed to Zinwa to urgently restore supplies and address the recurring breakdowns, disputed bills and electricity-related challenges.
Zinwa spokesperson Tsungirirai Shoriwa could neither confirm nor deny the concerns raised by residents, saying he was not in the office and requested to respond tomorrow.