Chitungwiza residents say there is an apparent lack of sincerity on the part of the government and their local authority on the issue of reliable water provision in the dormitory town.
by Own Correspondent
This came out at a Chitungwiza Municipality strategic planning review meeting in Kadoma on Thursday.
Presenting a document on the state of service delivery in the town, Chitungwiza Residents’ Trust (Chitrest) director, Marvelous Khumalo, said as residents, they were concerned that Chitungwiza Municipality continued to implement plans for the expansion of the town yet little effort was being made to address water challenges.
“We cannot have a town with more than 69 000 residential properties, but does not have its own water source. We are not satisfied with the efforts of the government and the local authority in resolving the water challenges in Chitungwiza.
“It is surprising that the government would approve the expansion of Chitungwiza yet the town does not have its own water source. We are concerned and disappointed,” Khumalo said.
Chitungwiza has been hard hit by water shortages and the situation has seen residents being exposed to diseases.
The local authority has hinted that they are working on the Muda Dam project which they say will alleviate the water crisis in Chitungwiza.
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However, Khumalo told NewsDay that the local authority and the government ought to declare the water situation in Chitungwiza a disaster.
“What we have seen is that the Chitungwiza Municipality has admitted that they have failed to address the water crisis in Chitungwiza and in that regard, they should urgently declare the situation a disaster to pave way for donor assistance.
“At the moment, lives are at great risk in Chitungwiza due to water shortages and this has been worsened by the fact that service delivery is generally poor,” Khumalo said. He added that political interference in the activities of the Chitungwiza Municipality had stalled a number of developmental projects that could have helped in addressing some of the challenges facing the dormitory town.
“Another challenge is lack of transparency and accountability on revenue collection. We are concerned that little is being done to curb corruption at Chitungwiza Municipality yet it has significantly contributed to poor service delivery,” Khumalo said.
