BY NIZBERT MOYO
UMZINGWANE residents have bemoaned poor service delivery by the rural district council, which is failing to service septic tanks that are contaminating underground water, exposing them to waterborne diseases.
They said the council septic tanks that were installed at houses constructed under the government’s Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle programme had outlived their life span.
“We are sitting on a ticking time bomb. These septic tanks provided per household were meant to be a temporary measure and are poorly designed. They can collapse anytime, causing water contamination,’’ said one resident.
Cleophas Ndlovu also said council was failing to collect bins from households while residents were not included in council budget consultation meetings.
“We need auditing of stands, community boreholes should not be abused by certain individuals, and there should also be a breakdown of the service charges on our water bills. We have raised these complaints to council, but they have not been considered,’’ Ndlovu said.
Umzingwane Rural District Council chief executive Dumisani Mpofu said they were working on the sewage reticulation system for the Garikai houses.
“We designed little septic tanks as a temporary measure though not allowed in high residential areas. We are working to put an updated reticulated sewer system, but we are facing financial challenges due to the economic situation. The area is also highly populated due to small miners commonly known as Omakorokoza,’’he said.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
He, however, rubbished the issue of not engaging residents during budget consultative meetings, saying the meetings were advertised even at ward level.
