Residents bear brunt of water woes in Vic Falls

Ratidzai Matumbura

 VICTORIA FALLS – Residents of the resort city of Victoria Falls are crying foul over the acute water shortages amid fears of a proliferation of water-borne diseases. What started as a minor challenge is allegedly, degenerating into a full blown crisis over the years as the population keeps ballooning without a commensurate adjustment in water reticulation.

Mr Nigel Moyo,  a resident pointed to the growing population and subsequent expansion of Mkhosana suburb by the city council as the reason behind the difficult water situation. He argued that expansion was not well planned for, resulting in council failing to cope with increased households in terms of water supply.In Mkhosana, residents are forced to endure going without water for long hours daily.

“Council went on to dole out CBZ, BC846 BC847 stands  in Mkhosana without extending the water reticulation to cater for increased water demand. We  only have one tank supplying the city, which is in Chinotimba. The council should put up more tanks to cater  for Mkhosana and reduce the water shortages,” he said.

Fears are that if the water problem persists unabated, it could trigger outbreaks of water-borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid.

Another resident, Lovemore Dlamini said he is failing to come to terms with water shortages. He could not conceal his fears at the prospect of diseases that could take advantage of the situation to spread in the city. He implored the council to urgently take action.

“The water shortage is a recipe for disaster and fertile ground for  diseases such as cholera and typhoid. The council should urgently spring to action and address this issue and nip it in the bud before it spirals out of control,” said Dlamini.

To compound an already desperate situation, temperatures in the city are consistently gravitating towards the high end and the heat is getting increasingly unbearable. Worse still, schools have opened and must operate in a hydrated environment given the constant hand-washing needed at a time when the Covid 19 pandemic is wreaking havoc.

Unlike other cities and towns, there are no boreholes in Victoria Falls due to the Kalahari soils and unfavourable depth of the water table.

A resident who only identified herself as Mrs Chuma said, “We really need water in the location. Nowadays it’s hot and without water we are seeing many cases of people who fall unconscious due to dehydration. We have no alternatives  like boreholes here. Residents and children at school are bound to suffer more in this heat,” he said.

The local authority needs a US$15 million investment in a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (Wash) project that would see the construction of ground and elevated reservoirs.

Speaking to this publication, the city’s Mayor, Somveli Dlamini promised that the water challenges will soon be addressed by the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project. He was however quick to mention that his Council is facing challenges in funding as well as maintaining the obsolete, dilapidated infrastructure that it inherited from the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA).

” Water challenges will be addressed by a comprehensive WASH project which is in the pipeline. The project will have reservoirs installed in Mkhosana and these will also supply water in the new schemes. ZINWA has handed over dilapidated and old water infrastructure at the raw water pump station. Council is currently revamping the pump station and it is envisaged that water supply will improve after completion.

 The only challenge is availability of funding and Council is hoping for funding from Central government through devolution funds and other grants,” said the mayor.

Normally, council struggles with water supply during this time of the year when water levels deplete on the Zambezi River. The situation  in Victoria Falls is a microcosm of Zimbabwe’s water problems stemming from climate change and local and central government struggles with supplying water to residents.