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Blessings Chidakwa in Kadoma
Government will avail $2,1 million for water and sewer systems rehabilitation programmes in Kadoma to replace obsolete equipment.

The funds are set to ease water challenges in the city that has seen some areas going for close to 20 years without receiving tap water while other residents are accessing it from unsafe  sources.

City of Kadoma director of health Dr Daniel Chirundu revealed the plans while responding to questions during a meeting organised by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health at Rimuka Hall recently.

Residents had raised concerns on council’s failure to deal with erratic water supplies which they said had resulted in disease outbreaks over the years. Dr Chirundu said Government had pledged to allocate the funds in this year’s                                             budget.

“There was a study done 16 years ago on projected water demand and we have since surpassed that target. To avert that, Government promised to assist our council with $2,1 million to improve water supply,” he said.

Dr Chirundu said improving the water pumping capacity was at the top of council’s priorities.

“We are now more than 100 years as a council and most of our infrastructure has not been fully upgraded. Our dams have adequate water supplies but the reticulation system is now a challenge,” he said.

He, however, expressed concern that the Ministry of Health and Child Care had, of late, not been allocating health funds to the city resulting in them relying solely on donor funding.

The residents have tasked the incoming council to prioritise improving water supply and sewer reticulation.