GWERU Midlands State University (MSU) students risk exposure to water-borne diseases as the nearby Senga suburb has gone for almost a week without water, NewsDay can reveal.
The university will reopen on Monday. Most of the university students live in Senga, making it the most overcrowded area in the city.
MSU has limited accommodation facilities, a situation that forces students to stay in rented houses in the suburb.
Early this week, students nearby registering and making accommodation arrangements in preparation for the re-opening.
Senga residents said they feared water shortages might trigger a disease outbreak.
It is better when the university is closed as there would be less pressure on sanitation facilities, said Mectilda Kamanda, a resident.
But when they open and come in their thousands here with the current water situation we fear for the worst.
But deputy mayor Taurai Demo allayed the health fears, saying water supplies would be restored soon. There should be no fears. We are doing everything in our power to address the issue, he said.
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Remember this is not the first time that Senga suburb has experienced water problems.
The area is located on high ground and if the pressure is low, then it becomes difficult for water to reach the taps, Demo added.
But be assured that when MSU students open next week the situation would be under control.
Recently there was an outbreak of typhoid in some parts of Harare, raising fears of an outbreak of water-borne diseases like cholera which claimed about 4 000 lives four years ago.
