CHIEF Negande, born Nkawuso Mpofu of Nyaminyami Rural District, has raised concern over poor water quality in his area, saying it is causing widespread tooth discolouration among children and adults.
He has appealed to the government to urgently provide piped clean water to affected communities.
In an interview yesterday, the traditional leader said the water currently being consumed by villagers was damaging their dental health.
“The water we are drinking is affecting people’s teeth,” he said.
“People have no choice, but to drink it because it is the only source available, even though they know it is harming them.”
Chief Negande explained that many residents walk long distances in search of safer water, only to find similar conditions elsewhere.
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“Some walk for hours to other wells and boreholes, but when they get there, the water is the same.
“They come back with nothing except tired feet and the same bad water.
“This is the reality our people live with every day.”
The chief urged the government to deploy experts to investigate the cause of the tooth discolouration and assess the safety of the area’s water sources.
He said the immediate solution would be for authorities to install piped clean water in the affected communities.
“This is not a new plea. Chiefs in Nyaminyami District have, in the past, appealed for piped water to be connected from Lake Kariba to villages under Chief Negande, Chief Mola, Chief Nebiri and Chief Musambakaruma,” he said.
“If that project had been completed, we would not be facing this crisis today.”
Meanwhile, the Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) has begun collecting water samples from the area for laboratory analysis.
Chief Negande said he hoped the findings would help identify the cause of the problem and pave the way for a lasting solution.
One resident, Saliya Mutale, an elderly woman from the Negande area, said she had lived with the effects of the water since childhood.
“My teeth started turning brown and yellow when I was still young. People used to laugh at me and say I did not brush my teeth, but the truth is that the water we drink in Negande has too much fluoride. We have no choice, but to use borehole water,” she said.
“It has affected how I smile and even how I speak in public. I wish the government and other relevant authorities would help us get clean water or treat the water so that our children do not suffer the same problem.”
Confirming the development, Kariba district medical officer Godwin Muza said investigations were underway to determine fluoride levels in the area’s water sources.
“The issue appears to be linked to high fluoride content, which is known to cause dental fluorosis,” Muza said.
Residents are now awaiting the outcome of the university’s tests, hoping they will lead to a lasting solution to what has become a growing public health concern in Nyaminyami.
Chief Negande said confidence in the area’s water supply would only be restored once communities have access to safe, piped water from Lake Kariba.