The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has received emergency funds from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to fix malfunctioning boreholes within the city.
According to Mayor David Coltart, the NGOs have mobilized resources to help solve the water crisis in the city. The city has requested that the Zimbabwe National Water Authority fix boreholes that are outside of Bulawayo’s jurisdiction.
However, not all malfunctioning boreholes have been fixed by the NGOs. According to Council Spokesperson Nesisa Mpofu, of the 412 community boreholes in Bulawayo, only a few have been rehabilitated by the NGOs.
She mentioned that in June, Unicef and its implementing partner Africa Ahead rehabilitated 12 boreholes. Additionally, 35 more boreholes are being assessed for rehabilitation under the Emergency Water Response to El Niño-induced drought in Bulawayo, supported by SIDA-ACF and Africa Ahead as the implementing partner.
The BCC recently revealed that 76 of its boreholes had broken down, leaving residents scrambling for water. In response, the city has implemented a water-shedding programme due to low supplies.
The department of water and sanitation has indicated that the rehabilitation of boreholes is being hindered by a shortage of spare parts.
The BCC has proposed that it will take over the repair of all malfunctioning boreholes belonging to residents and other stakeholders as part of its efforts to alleviate the city’s water woes.
This decision was made during a meeting organized by the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association. Ward 3 councillor Mxolisi Mahlangu stated that the local authority wants to ensure that all non-functional boreholes are fixed, and the department of engineering is working on it.
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