MUTARE City Council is experiencing a serious shortage of refuse collection trucks with only three out of a possible 10 trucks available to service the city.
BY OBEY MANAYITI
The shortage has negatively affected refuse collection in the eastern border city.
The city’s acting health director Simon Mashababe told visiting German ambassador Ullrich Kloeckner last week that the situation had become dire.
“In the area of environmental health we are trying as much as we can to remove refuse. We are supposed to have 10 refuse trucks to do that job, but out of that number we have three refuse trucks,” Mashababe said.
“As a result, in our quest to remove refuse we will have to use the available trucks. Instead of starting at 8 am they (workers) will be at work at 4 am or 5.30 am. Very unfortunately the vehicle’s life span will be short,” he said.
Mashababe said the city had now resolved to use the remaining refuse trucks round the clock to ensure that all areas were covered.
Mutare mayor Tatenda Nhamarare appealed for donations in critical areas such as water reticulation, sewage management, refuse collection and clinics to ensure the local authority maintains a clean health bill.
