Burst manhole a health time bomb
LIKE a raging beast, sewage gushes out from a manhole, flowing down the road and into the homes of those with no pre-cast walls. Some of it gets trapped around trees and in drainages.
Suddenly, parts of Mpopoma suburb smell like a sewage treatment plant.
Children in their ignorant playfulness continue to jump around a community netball court barefoot, where some of the sewage has flowed to.
Parents try to restrain their children but fight a losing battle until they give up. They let them be but with their surrender expose their children to disease.
“If this continues, we’ll have cholera to deal with not long from now. Our children play in the sewage and it’s sometimes hard to monitor them. The sewage collects into a small pond beside some office building nearby and the children swim in the pool of contaminated water,” said Mrs Assah Sibanda, a Mpopoma resident.
She said residents are worried the continuous sewer problems will breed disease if nothing is done to address the challenge.
“As we speak, my child is taking medication for tapeworms he developed from playing with sewage. Children no longer have safe spaces to play. When we send them to pick plastics for making fires to cook, they sometimes pick them from the flowing sewage. If the sewer blockages are not dealt with, people in the the whole neighbourhood might fall sick,” said Mrs Sibanda.
Another resident, Mr Mike Nhika said the rains being experienced in the city have exacerbated the situation.
“The sewage is carried further by the rains, while cars splash pedestrians with it whenever motorists drive over it. We pay rates to the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) every month and don’t expect to be dealing with manhole bursts that go unattended for so long,” said Mr Nhika.
The problem is widespread in the city with some residents of Sauerstown and Luveve suburbs complaining of the same. They feel the BCC has let them down and the city’s sewage systems have proven inefficient.
“We report manhole bursts as soon as they happen but no action is taken over long periods of time,” said Mr Wilfred Manyathela.
“We’ve become used to the stench. It’s only visitors who are bothered by the stench but we’ve become accustomed to it. We’re just scared of disease outbreaks which will be difficult to contain if the problem is not addressed urgently.”
BCC senior public relations officer Mrs Nesisa Mpofu said the council is in the process of fixing the sewage blockages.
“Council awarded a tender for rehabilitation of collapsed outfall sewers at Pumula South and Luveve. The project commenced on January 22, 2016 and was expected to be completed by the end of August 2016 but due to problems that were faced by contractors regarding payment of external suppliers; the project completion date had to be extended to February 15, 2017,” said Mrs Mpofu.
“Council would like to apologise to residents for delay in the completion of the project and for the inconvenience caused.”
Typhoid cases have been reported in Harare with health officials on high alert to ensure the disease is contained and does not spread to other parts of the country.
Various awareness campaigns have also been launched to help raise consciousness about the disease among members of the public.
Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa said government has come up with ways of fighting against typhoid in Harare as well as preventing its spreadto other parts of the country.
“The selling of vegetables, fruits, processed or not on the streets is now prohibited. We’re not going to win against typhoid if there’re vendors on the streets selling fruits; people buy and eat them unwashed. Vendors on the streets selling sadza, cooked fish and vegetables are a recipe for disaster not only as far as typhoid is concerned but for all diarrhoeal diseases,” said Dr Parirenyatwa.
He urged members of the public to use appropriate litter disposal mechanisms such as bins instead of throwing dirt through moving vehicles and using illegal dumpsites.
“Zimbabwe should not look like a litter box. Drainages will be cleaned; removing all paper so that when it rains, water may flow freely and there won’t be contaminated water in drainages. The government therefore appeals to churches and well-wishers in various communities to help clean the country. In so doing, we’ll all be helping fight typhoid,” said Dr Parirenyatwa.
He said health education and creating awareness are fundamental in promoting healthy communities and preventing disease.
“I realise that people now rely on boreholes. We don’t know which water is contaminated and which is not due to the heavy rains and consequent overflowing that has taken place in many areas across the country. That’s why people should approach the correct authorities and request that their borehole water be tested; that’s how we can win the fight against typhoid,” said Dr Parirenyatwa. — @cchikayi