Water woes hit Redcliff
REDCLIFF residents have raised concern over the erratic water supplies in the town saying the situation was putting them at risk at a time the country was battling the cholera outbreak.
Redcliff relies on Kwekwe City for its water supplies. In separate interviews yesterday, Redcliff residents said they were very vulnerable and exposed to risks.
One of the town’s residents, Mrs Melody Nyoni, said they get water once a week from their taps and use unprotected water sources.
“We are a satellite town and we rely on Kwekwe City for water supplies. We only get water once a week and during this time when the country is battling the water borne diseases, we are at high risk. Most people here rely on water from unprotected water sources and its scary now,” she said.
Another resident, Mr Arnold Ndlovu, appealed to Government for water treatment pills so as to prevent the outbreak in Redcliff.
“We are at risk and Government should consider towns like this which are vulnerable in their cholera and typhoid prevention programmes, we need to have the water treating chemicals so that we prevent the disease outbreak,” he said.
Newly-appointed Redcliff Mayor Councillor Clayton Masiyatsva yesterday acknowledged that Redcliff which was facing serious water problems was at risk.
He said the local authority was, however, on high alert and has since started a programme of repairing the city’s ageing water pipes.
“We have said our top priority is bringing safe and clean water to Redcliff and to begin with, we will be repairing old water pipes,” he said.
Meanwhile, Redcliff legislator Mr Lloyd Mapiko said the only solution was for the town to have its own water treatment plant.
He said the residents were pinning hopes on the resuscitation of the Ziscosteel company which is the backbone of the town.
“As a town, we cannot continue to rely on supplies from Kwekwe City, what we need is to be able to be independent. The closure of Ziscosteel has seen people of Redcliff undergoing untold suffering, but as the local MP I have started engaging the business community and all other stakeholders to come up with a comprehensive plan to end water woes in the town,” he said.