BULAWAYO councillors are channelling ward retention funds (WRF) towards the rehabilitation of the city’s drainage systems to prevent water flowing into residential properties as the rainy season sets in.
WRF is a mini-Constituency Development Fund (CDF) where councillors are given money by council to implement development projects in their wards.
Under the scheme, three percent of all revenue collected from ratepayers is set aside for developmental activities in the ward.
Ward 25 councillor, Aleck Ndlovu, said his ward was prone to flash flooding.
“Three percent of every dollar paid by residents is what we use for rehabilitation of drainage systems, clearing footpaths, footbridges, among other facilities,” he said.
“This project was supposed to have been finished in April this year but because of inadequate funds nothing of that nature happened.”
He said they had not only received funds from the local authority but also from well-wishers and private entities.
“Some of the funds came from the church and from well-wishers,” Ndlovu said.
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Council engineering department chairperson, Livie Sibanda, said she was in a meeting when contacted for a comment on the rehabilitation of drainage systems ahead of the rainy season.
In April, the local authority revealed that it was excavating trenches to prevent flooding and downstream erosion.
Council said it was engaging jobless youths for the exercise.
A number of Bulawayo suburbs such as Nketa 9, Njube, Sizinda, Tshabalala and Nkulumane are prone to flooding due to poor drainage systems.
