Chirundu in water blues
A SERIOUS water shortage has hit Chirundu border town with all surrounding townships going without the commodity since Saturday.
A check by the Daily Nation in Gaboni, Kadunga, Mazongolo, High cost and low cost townships found residents without water while others opted to fetch water from the crocodile-infested lower Zambezi River. Some residents spoken to demanded urgent attention from Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company (LWSC) before an outbreak of waterborne diseases. “We have gone without water since Saturday and we don’t know why the Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company is not informing us when the water supply will be restored. “We are disappointed that when we default the same water utility company disconnects us without warning but now they are failing to communicate to us on what is going on when we have no water,” they complained. They told the Daily Nation that some parents had resorted to sending their children to fetch water from near by crocodileinfested Zambezi River. LWSC marketing and public relation manager Mr Patson Phiri promised to issue a statement later. But a notice at the local branch of the water company explains that the water blues was as a result of a burst transmission pipe at ZRA distribution and main plants respectively. “We would like to inform our esteemed customers and the general public that the low pressure or no water situation being experienced currently in most parts of Chirundu is as a result of reduced pumping capacity and burst transmission pipe at ZRA distribution plant and main plant respectively.
“Water supply will return to normal when repair works are completed. LWSC wishes to apologize to its esteemed customers for the inconvenience caused,” reads the notice And Chirundu businessman and PF 2016 Parliamentary candidate, Workwell Siamaili has called on the LWSC to upgrade its infrastructure to sufficiently cater for the ever growing population. He appealed to the company to respect its customers and put its house in order unlike the current situation where residents were being been kept in the dark over the real cause of the water shortage. “The company should invest in new pumps as the ones they are currently using are too old to cater for the growing population,” said Mr Siamaili.