Mbare-Sunningdale boreholes condemned

ALMOST half of Mbare-Sunningdale boreholes in Harare have contaminated water that is not fit for human consumption, a city health official has said.

Briefing Minister of Health and Child Care Dr David Parirenyatwa, and Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Saviour Kasukuwere during a tour of Mbare yesterday, to assess the extent of the typhoid outbreak, Harare City Council health director Dr Prosper Chonzi said residents are consuming this contaminated water due to erratic water supplies.

“Thirteen out of 32 boreholes in the Mbare-Sunningdale area are contaminated but residents consume this water because of the erratic water supplies leading to the spread of the typhoid bacteria,” Dr Chonzi said. The current situation, he said, has put Mbare residents at a high risk of being infected by water-borne diseases.

In response, Minister Kasukuwere told the Harare City Council to emulate how residents of Stoneridge have stored their water in tanks to reduce the rate of contamination.

Health experts have warned that the contamination of boreholes in this area is being caused by poor hygiene.

“People in Mbare have resorted to using the bush for toilet purposes due to no, or limited supply of water. This however, has resulted in the rain washing away the faeces to the boreholes,” Dr Chonzi said.

He said new boreholes should be properly constructed to avoid contamination.

“Chlorinators should also be put before point of use like what was done to boreholes in Kuwadzana. We have already started implementing that here in Mbare and the boreholes around Chitsere Primary School have chlorinators.”

Dr Chonzi said the contaminated boreholes would be decommissioned: “Residents should boil water or use aqua tablets, instead of directly consuming contaminated water.”

Minister Kasukuwere condemned the numerous untended dumping sites in Mbare that are heaped with uncollected garbage.