DISPUTE LEAVES KAMANGA RESIDENTS WITHOUT WATER
RESIDENTS of Lusaka’s Kamanga compound have had no water in the past one week because the borehole that supplies water to the area has been shut.
The borehole was shut following a wrangle between Lusaka Water Sewerage Company (LWSC) and the farm owner where the borehole is located.
Chakunkula ward 32 councillor Smart Mwitwa, said the owner of the farm only known Ms Phiri was upset with LWSC whom she accused of failing to keep their promise to pay her K350, 000 for the piece of land where the borehole is located.
Mr Mwitwa complained that Ms Phiri had claimed the LWSC had been getting water from her farm for free in the past seven years, yet the company was busy charging residents of Kamanga for the commodity.
He said the farm owner insisted she needed some form of compensation as was agreed with the LWSC.
“Mrs Phiri explained that LWSC and herself had several meetings, at which they agreed that they should buy the potion of land were the borehole is situated at the farm at a considerate fee of K350 thousand.
“It looks like LWSC is not showing any interest to pay that amount and now the lady has locked us out she is not allowing anyone from the utility company to have access to the borehole and the residents have not had water for a week,” he said.
The civic leader said even after pleading with Ms Phiri to reconsider her decision especially in the wake of the Cholera outbreak in Lusaka she refused.
He appealed to LWSC to quickly engage Ms Phiri and normalise the situation so that water can be restored in Kamamga compound.
Meanwhile LWSC Public relations manager Patson Phiri, interview with the Daily Nation, explained that there was no such an agreement between Mrs Phiri and the utility company to buy land and that she should produce a doucument to back her statement.
“All we know is that water was found at her land and we have the right to use it that is what the Land Acquisition says so we are backed by law to install a borehole in her premises but what she is doing is committing an offence of sabotage,” he said
Mr Phiri said what the farm owner was doing was wrong and that the water underground did not belong to her neither did it belong to any person but the state.
He said that LWSC was in the process of writing to Mrs Phiri to consider permitting the utility company to allow the company access the borehole so that Kamanga residents could be supplied with water again.