MASVINGO — The European Union (EU), through the Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe (Ucaz), has awarded Masvingo City Council a $2,5 million grant for water and sanitation projects, mayor Alderman Femias Chakabuda has confirmed.
Report by Tatenda Chitagu Own Correspondent
In an interview with NewsDay yesterday, Chakabuda said the grant was facilitated by Ucaz. He said the money would help council to manage water and sanitation facilities. The mayor said council would carry out an in-depth assessment of water quality and create an early warning system to avert disease outbreaks.
Access to clean, safe and quality water and high sanitation standards are among the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to which Zimbabwe is a signatory.
“We are happy that Ucaz identified us as one of the local authorities in the country that could benefit from the intervention by the EU.
“This is a pilot project in which we will use operation and maintenance software that will help the council to manage the water and sanitation by recording facilities and equipment into a web based system.
“The system helps in identifying council assets and gives asset replacement time frames. The council will be constantly alerted of when replacement of water or sewer equipment is due. It will help in quick detection of breakdowns, water pipe bursts and leakages,” Chakabuda said.
He said the local authority would identify a consultancy company to undertake the water and sanitation facilities assessment and would set up the software that would link all the water and sewer facilities onto the council database.
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The EU, said Chakabuda, had also established water focal point networks with local government associations in South Africa, Zambia and Malawi.
