BY OBERT SIAMILANDU
BINGA centre’s water woes have deepened, with residents of the tourist town now forced to fetch the precious liquid from the banks of Lake Kariba risking crocodile attacks.
Binga centre is about three kilometres east of Lake Kariba and boasts a number of tourist attractions, including the hot springs, wildlife and the magnificent Binga beach.
Binga Residents Association chairperson Mayasi Mudenda said desperate residents were also relying on rain water harvesting for domestic use.
“Waiting mothers at the hospital are climbing up and down the 5km mountain to get water from the river. The river is infested with crocodiles and hippos and the lake is muddy due to recent rains,” Mudenda said.
“There was no proper communication from Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa), but we heard that pumps at their low-lift pump stations were burnt due to the unscheduled power cuts. “
Zinwa public relations manager Marjorie Munyonga on Saturday confirmed that the water pumps were destroyed last week.
“Our raw water pumping units have been burnt due to power outages. We are in the process of procuring pumping units. We are working on restoring supply by tomorrow end of day (Sunday),” Munyonga told the NewsDay.
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The town has been experiencing a recurring water crisis emanating from frequent power cuts which affect water distribution as there is no standby generator. Last year, Binga went for weeks without water after Zinwa disconnected supplies to council over an unpaid $1,5 million debt.
Residents pay their water bills to Binga Rural District Council which in turn pays the water authority.
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