BCC discusses water, sanitation infrastructure, service delivery

BULAWAYO City Council will today host a service delivery and water indaba focusing on the recent diarrhoea outbreak, water, sanitation and infrastructure rehabilitation.

The indaba is expected to attract residents from suburbs such as Makokoba, Mzilikazi, Mabuthweni, Iminyela, Old Pumula, Nguboyenja, Mpopoma and Matshobane among others, that have repeatedly complained about frequent sewage pipe bursts which the council has blamed on archaic infrastructure.

Residents of Tshabalala Extension are grappling with a diarrhoea outbreak following the council’s water-shedding schedule, which resulted in taps going dry for days.

Contaminated water came out of the taps after supplies resumed, resulting in people getting diarrheal infections.

This resulted in one death. Yesterday, the council’s public relations department advised consumers and other stakeholders that the local authority will hold an indaba to gather views from stakeholders on issues of service delivery, water and sanitation, and infrastructural rehabilitation.

“The City of Bulawayo is currently implementing the Bulawayo Water and Sewerage Services Improvement Project (BWSSIP), whose objective is to improve municipal water supply and sanitation services contributing to the improvement of the health and social well-being of the population of the City of Bulawayo,” the council’s communication to stakeholders read.

“The intervention seeks to address these challenges through the rehabilitation of infrastructure and developing the capacity of the service provider for immediate service improvement as well as medium and long-term requirements.”

The local authority noted that BWSSIP was focused on increasing public awareness on water conservation, anti-littering, anti-vandalism, payment of bills on time and hygiene awareness, as well as gender and social inclusion.

“It is in this light that the City of Bulawayo will hold the Service Delivery and Water Indaba which seeks to engage with consumer groups and affected stakeholders to openly discuss issues surrounding water and sanitation,” BCC said.

“The objective of the indaba is to provide a meaningful and interactive platform for feedback on municipal service delivery, provide citizens greater access to information and be able to freely participate in the discussions of the forum and to assure the citizens that their concerns are understood and considered so as to create ownership and belonging.

“The service delivery and water indaba will be held under the theme Building Resilience Faster in Water and Sanitation at the Large City Hall.”

Mayor Solomon Mguni, town clerk Christopher Dube and Bulawayo Provincial Affairs minister Judith Ncube are among the key speakers at the indaba.