Masvingo residents have gone without running water for three consecutive days following a breakdown at the main pump station caused by an electrical fault, officials said yesterday, a second such occurrence inside two months.
BY TATENDA CHITAGU
Most residential areas had no running water from Friday last week, with the city officials providing water bowsers to worst-affected areas, while other residents resorted to boreholes drilled by non-governmental organisations.
Masvingo town clerk Adolf Gusha, in a statement, said normal water supplies would be restored once they replaced the damaged component.
“The City of Masvingo wishes to advise its residents and the public that there was an overvoltage incident that resulted in damage to all the three interface control units at the intake tower abstraction pump station at Bushmead. The incident occurred on Friday afternoon and led to a complete breakdown of the pump station.
“A replacement unit was found from another pump station, and it was installed and commissioned at 2300hours,” Gusha said.
“However, since only one of the two pumps is operational at this station, the capacity to pump water to the city is reduced to 70% of the normal. As a result, the water supply will be reduced and shortages will be pronounced in areas on high ground.”
Gusha said they had mobilised water bowsers and storage tanks to supply water to the most affected parts of the city until the problem has been resolved.
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“Meanwhile, the city is engaging suppliers for the replacement of the damaged equipment and will advise when the delivery dates are known,” he said.
In September, following weeks of no water, a residents pressure group, the Masvingo Residents and Ratepayers Alliance, won a High Court interdict to force the city to provide potable water to the residents. The city council complied with the order and increased water bowsers and brought in tanks which supplied water to the most affected areas.
