BY SILISIWE MABALEKA
TSHABALALA Extension residents in Bulawayo are receiving foul-smelling water on their taps, three weeks after the suburb was hit by a diarrhoea outbreak.
The outbreak claimed one life, and infected over 100 others.
A number of residents were also treated for stomach problems blamed on the contaminated water.
When council health officials visited the suburb to collect water samples, residents were advised to boil water before consumption.
Residents told NewsDay that they feel that the water is still unsafe for consumption.
Patricia Sibanda, a resident, said the water produced an unpleasant smell even after boiling.
She said they had resorted to buying mineral water.
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“The water from the taps is not clean and we have resorted to buying mineral water as we fear for our lives. There are burst water pipes in the area, and residents suspect that the raw sewage has contaminated water,” she said.
Another resident, Buhle Moyo said people were still suffering from stomach problems.
“There are long queues of diarrhoea patients at Tshabalala Clinic,” Moyo said.
BCC only gave the affected residents empty containers to use in fetching clean water.
BCC director of Health Services, Edwin Sibanda said as of December 11 that no cases of diarrhoea were recorded in the suburb.
“Since Saturday we have not recorded any cases of diarrhoea, and we haven’t lost a life,” Sibanda said.
Last year, 13 Luveve residents died of diarrhoea related illnesses.
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