Community Water Alliance (CWA) has launched a campaign whose overall objective is to ensure burst water and sewer pipes are addressed as a way to prevent water borne diseases and increase quantity of water required for implementation of COVID19 Prevention Protocols. The campaign is codenamed #TsimbaDzeUtano / #InyatheloLokuhlanzeka. The Campaign is targeting Glen View and Budiriro districts.
Background to the Campaign
Glen View alone recorded 58 serious sewer bursts by February 01, 2021. The bursts have high prospects of birthing typhoid and cholera cases in Glen View and Budiriro.
In 2008/9 Zimbabwe recorded 98000 cases of cholera with City of Harare recording 15773 cases of which more than 7000 cases were from Budiriro and Glen View districts.
In 2017/8 Glen View recorded cholera and typhoid cases again. All the cases dating back to 2008/9 were attributed to contaminated water sources emanating from sewer bursts which are persistent in Glen View. Glen View is an area near Firle Sewer Treatment plant. Firle Sewer Treatment plant is the main wastewater treatment plant in Harare whose design capacity is 144 megalitres per day. Close to three quarters of wastewater generated in Harare is directed to Firle which is in Glen View.
Glen View and Budiriro are cholera hot spot areas in Zimbabwe. The prevailing situation on sewer bursts in these two areas is likely to birth typhoid and cholera.
Besides sewer bursts, there are also water pipe bursts which have contributed to the 60% Non-Revenue Water in Harare. Leakages of water pipes reduce amount of water available at the tap and ultimately force citizens to congest public water points. This exposes citizens to Coronavirus infections and conflicts as citizens jostle for inadequate potable water.
Campaign Activities
Community Water Alliance will be working with citizens to fill “burst certificates” (think birth certificate) that record the dates bursts occurred and the dates reports were made to City of Harare. Once a burst is addressed, a death certificate will be issued. These certificates will help CWA to assess extent of the problem and help gather evidence to use in compelling City of Harare to address an impeding health hazard. 58 Burst Birth Certificates have so far been recorded by citizens. This record which is with CWA, point to a health disaster if City of Harare continue to ignore addressing citizens plight.
#TsimbaDzeUtano
#HealthFootPrint
#InyatheloLokuhlanzeka
NB: Bulawayo Water Action is credited for the burst certificate initiative.
Source: Community Water Alliance
