By Descent Dube
THE shortage of water in Bulawayo has put Pelandaba residents’ lives in danger after thy have no choice but to source the precious liquid at an uncovered well amid the threats posed by the Coronavirus pandemic.
The city recently introduced a 144 hour water shedding following the decommissioning of Upper Ncema and Lower Ncema dams. Since then, there has been a long queue along Khami Road where there is well which developed due to a leaking pipe.
Chelesile Ncube, a resident who source water at the well said the situation is dire and is likely to cause a health hazard. She said the situation is now scarier due to the fact that the country is in the middle of fighting the spread of Coronavirus.
“This well has turned to be one of the places where the virus can spread uncontrollable because people are desperate for water and theirs is no way we can adhere to the stipulated on metre social distancing. We have been here since 3am and now its 7am but I haven’t filled a single bucket and the worst part is that the City Council is not even following the timetable of opening water to us,” said Ncube.
Among the group of people surrounding the well were two police officers explaining the importance of maintaining the social distancing stipulated under the regulation of the country’s lockdown meant to curb the spread of Covid – 19. However, the insistence from the police seemed to be of no avail which showed that the danger posed by the virus was secondary to people of Pelandaba compared to the consequences that come with the shortage of water.
Various civil society groups and the Bulawayo City Council through the city’s mayor appealed for the government to declare the water situation of Bulawayo the state of national disaster. However, the engineer sent by the government to evaluate the water situation in Bulawayo said the dams could provide the city for more than a year, an evaluation which the BCC has disputed.
NUST JOURNAL-ZW 