Harare City Council has ordered its Works Department to reconnect all household properties whose water supplies were cut off over unpaid bills in an effort to stem the spread of typhoid.
Deputy mayor Emmanuel Chiroto told NewsDay yesterday the exercise had already benefited 600 Dzivarasekwa households disconnected last year. The move to reconnect the households follows a typhoid outbreak early this year which affected an estimated 1 500 people in Kuwadzana, Dzivarasekwa and Warren Park suburbs.
We want to know why these households were disconnected against council policy. I will seek explanation from the town clerk (Tendai Mahachi) on who ordered the disconnections of these houses, said Chiroto.
Chiroto toured the affected suburbs on Wednesday to ensure the directive to reconnect water supplies was complied with. He was accompanied by representatives of the Combined Harare Residents and Ratepayers Association.
We agreed to connect water in all affected places and residents can come up with a payment plan. This act of disconnecting water in sensitive places can only make councillors unpopular with residents and we dont want that. If it is sabotage from the officials, (they) must come out clear, he said.
The council is owed $106 million in unpaid water and sewage charges, with Chitungwiza Municipality owing $8 million.
