Ivan Zhakata and Blessings Chidakwa

A serious health hazard is looming in Harare and Chitungwiza following an increase in sewer bursts over the past few days, The Herald has established.

The sewerage bursts which expose residents to potential outbreaks like Cholera and Typhoid are being witnessed in the usual hotspots.

A snap survey yesterday showed that areas like Dzivaresekwa 2, Warren Park 1, Glenview 3 in Harare were among the worst affected as raw effluent sewage was observed flowing in the streets exposing even children
While in Chitungwiza in Unit D, K and M sewage was observed flowing inside homes.

Over the years, Harare City Council and Chitungwiza Municipality officials have been dangling on ending the menace as they temporarily attend to the blockages without fixing the root causes.

City of Harare spokesperson Mr Michael Chideme said sewer bursts meant that there is an availability of council water in that area and encouraged people to report all sewer leakages to the local authority.

“Wherever you see sewer bursts it means the council is pumping water to that area. We are attending to all sewer bursts. We are also urging people to report all bursts for quick responses,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kambuzuma residents have echoed a sigh of relief after sewage leaks and burst water pipes were attended to last week after two years of living alongside sewage.

The sewer leakages were repaired by Zanu PF shadow councilor for Ward 14, Cde Taurai Jimu who was among the residents who expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of repairs on the sewer leakages and pipe bursts.

Cde Jimu took it upon himself, mobilised funds and had all the sewer leakages and burst pipes in Kabuzuma Sections 5 and 6 repaired much to the joy of the residents.

He said he was saddened by the increasing state of sewer leakages which were posing a health hazard to the residents.

“I repaired all the sewer leakages and pipe bursts in Kambuzuma. It has been two years while we were experiencing sewer leakages in Section 5 and 6 and the council was doing nothing about it. This is part of my ongoing programmes to make sure that all sewer leakages are attended to.

“Kambuzuma now is much better than what it was before and the residents have expressed gratitude over the repairs. I hope I will leave the neighbourhood in a better state than where it is currently and I am happy with the support I am receiving from the local residents,” Cde Jimu said.

Chitungwiza public relations officer Mr Lovemore Meya attributed sewer burst to low supplies of water which has resulted in the pilling of waste in pipelines.

“The waste ends up clogging the system such that by the time we get water we start experiencing sewer bursts. So far as a short term measure we are trying to attend to such problems through our reaction teams,” he said.