The ManicaPost
The past decade will go down in history as the era in which water — or the lack of it — shook the core of Manicaland’s socio-economy.
While Mutasa and Makoni did not report significant damage on water infrastructure during last year’s devastating Cyclone Idai, Chimanimani and Chipinge districts’ water and sanitation facilities were severely affected.
One year on, some people, particularly women and children, are still walking long distances to fetch water.
On the other hand, the bulk of Mutare residents are singing the blues due to water rationing as the small pipes servicing them are choking under the weight of their growing population.
Once the pride of the eastern region, the city of Mutare, particularly the high-density suburbs of Dangamvura, Hobhouse and Chikanga, depict a pale shadow of itself.
This is despite the fact that the city’s water supplies are abundant in Odzani and Pungwe rivers in Mutasa district.
Faced with an average two-day hiatus without the precious liquid at any go in a week, the water shortages have been a growing cause of economic and social stress.
If not nipped in the bud, the water crisis can cause health hazards as people are often forced to use unsafe water for domestic purposes.
The rapid urbanisation of the province’s towns and city, though commendable, has had a direct impact on its water and sanitation systems due to the increased domestic water usage that is not being matched with the said infrastructural upgrades.
As it is, the province’s water infrastructure is archaic and has not been growing at the same rate as the population growth, a pointer to disintegrated planning and managerial myopia.
The ladies and gentlemen servicing our local authorities in the province have to be schooled that only innovation will quench our thirst. Council budgets should therefore reflect where our priority is, that is service delivery.
Indeed, local authorities, being in charge of public administration at the lowest tier, are the sphere of Government that is closest to the people — and therefore should step up to the plate.
The health of the people of Manicaland is at the heartbeat of the province’s socio-economic well-being. An ailing and thirsty province cannot efficiently be productive in the agriculture, mining, manufacturing or education, for example.
It cannot contribute effectively towards the attainment of the country’s Vision 2030 goals.
The backbone for this well-being lies in potable drinking water and an efficacious sanitation system.
Therefore, Manicaland needs to invest heavily in water and sanitation infrastructure.
But sustainable solutions, by the way, do not lie in blaming each other or in lining pockets at the expense of service delivery.
Rather, they lie in collaborative efforts and innovative thinking.
Therefore, the efforts that are being exerted in upgrading the water pipelines across the province couldn’t have come at a better time.
Rusape, which is the second largest urban settlement in the Manicaland province, is reportedly using the $6,9 million it received under the devolution programme to construct a 23-kilometre water network to ensure provision of potable water in Magamba suburb, which has been a problem child for the past two decades.
On the other hand, the partnership between the Mutare City Council and the African Development Bank (AfDB) is expected to yield results in the near future.
The AfDB has been constantly on the ground to make their own assessments and it is understood that funds have already been poured in for the procurement of water pipelines that will see residents receiving more reliable water supplies.
The Senate Joint Committee on Human Rights, Gender and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is also been seized with the matter. They are on a whirlwind tour that has already seen them assessing Rusape and Mutare’s water systems.
Next week will see them visiting Chipinge and some Masvingo districts for the same assessments.
By April, it is expected that more water will be flowing in our taps and boreholes.
Indeed, infrastructural development projects envisaged under the country’s economic blueprint, the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP), are bearing fruit in Manicaland.
