Binga residents beg Zinwa over water

Residents of Binga have accused the local rural district council ( RDC) of failing to provide water to the ratepayers and appealed to the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) to take over the service.

Leader of the residents, Retired Muleya, said on Thursday they had since submitted a letter to the council urging it to surrender water supply and distribution services to Zinwa.

“We were told that it was not possible because Zinwa will have to pay back council the money used in the purchase and installation of water pipes,” he said.

Binga Centre had gone for four months without water after Zinwa disconnected supplies in September over a $1,5 million debt owed by Binga RDC.

Zinwa last year refused to restore the supplies until the local authority paid at least $300 000 of its debt.

In December, residents had paid the agreed $300 000 instalments, but there was still no water for them.

The water supply was then restored on January 7 pending negotiations between the council and Zinwa on a payment plan.

Muleya said council claimed to have taken a US$90 000 bank loan in 2013 which had not yet been cleared and it was making it impossible for Zinwa to take over the water supply services.

He said residents would continue to push for the transfer of the water supply responsibility to Zinwa.

“There are other residents who have pending debts to council and we had a meeting so that every individual will have a payment plan,” Muleya said.

“But when individuals go to present their plans they are being told to come with money covering at least 50% of the debt which was never an agreement in the meeting.”

Another resident, Elison Mudenda, said water was reconnected but the issue of a payment plan was still outstanding.

“Binga RDC is saying that their request for a payment plan of $50 000 has not yet been accepted by Zinwa,” said Mudenda.

“So if Binga RDC has a pending agreement with Zinwa, it means that even to us the residents that issue will be still pending. Before the reconnection of water, life was not easy. We have been fetching water from relatives or friends who are connected to Zinwa.”