Lovemore Kadzura
Post Reporter
A MAJOR water crisis has hit Hauna Growth Point in Mutasa District as the main source of the precious liquid can longer meet the demand of the fast expanding urban settlement.
To further compound the situation, some farmers have laid pipes upstream of the growth point’s major source of water, Ruda River, siphoning water for irrigation purposes, leaving limited volumes to supply residents as the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) pump station is downstream.
The shortage of water has left the growth point at risk of contracting waterborne diseases such as cholera, dysentery and diarrhoea.
Hauna Growth Point has grown exponentially over the years, and its current population is estimated at 4 000. About 928 houses have been affected by the erratic water supply.
The growth point hosts Hauna District Hospital, Ruda Police Station, business centre and bus terminus, which all require water daily.
Acting Mutasa District Development Coordinator, Mr Tedious Beto, said Government and council are working around the clock to ensure that the situation returns to normal.
He said while the long term plan would be to draw water from the perennial and reliable Pungwe River, short term efforts are focused on drilling five solar-powered boreholes and providing water via bowsers.
“The major cause of Hauna Growth Point water challenge is Ruda River, which is now seriously depleted and its capacity can no longer match the expanding growth point. There is also a lot of upstream cultivation by farmers along the river.
“ZINWA no longer has the capacity to pump enough water to residents and institutions. The area has grown exponentially in the past years. One of the main solutions is to draw water from Pungwe River, and so far there is an intended partnership between Government and Nyanga Renewable Energy to pump water from the river to Hauna.
“That process is at an advanced stage, and ZINWA is now finalising some documents for the fruition of that partnership. The Presidential Borehole Drilling Scheme has installed five solar-powered boreholes at the centre, and one is now functional and servicing the area. The other four boreholes are at different stages of construction.
“We want all the five boreholes to be solar-powered so that they have better capacity to supply residents with clean water. Council and ZINWA have also joined hands in providing water to residents using bowsers.
“We are carrying a lot of health education campaigns alerting residents to maintain high level of hygiene to curb the spread of diseases associated with lack of water,” said Mr Beto.
ZANU PF Mutasa District Coordinating Committee secretary for health and child care, Cde Anna Marimbire, welcomed Government’s intervention of drilling boreholes.
She called on authorities to pace up the process to ensure a permanent solution to the water crisis.
“So far the situation is pathetic as there is no water. We have only managed to get one borehole at the bus terminus which is serving a lot of people. There is no water in the residential area because ZINWA is saying the river has dried up. People have resorted to fetching water from neighbours’ boreholes, but it is not sufficient. The community needs clean water as soon as possible. If the situation remains as it is, the situation might get out of hand, leading to an outbreak of diseases,” said Cde Marimbire.
