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Yeukai Karengezeka Herald Correspondent

Chitungwiza residents are living in fear of another cholera or typhoid outbreak after a number of diarrhoea cases are said to have been recorded in Manyame Park Phase 2.

In an interview, Chitungwiza Residents Association director Ms Alice Kuvheya called upon the Chitungwiza Municipality to urgently address the water situation.

“This is unfortunate and an unacceptable situation,” she said.

“If not addressed urgently, it will lead to an emergence of waterborne diseases such as typhoid and cholera.  Already, there are various reports to the effect that Manyame Park phase 2 is having diarrhoea cases and the situation may spread to other areas.”

Most residents are resorting to using unprotected wells and buying water for home usage.

“The situation is so deplorable that most people are now resorting to fetching water from unprotected wells and spending nights queuing at the few boreholes in the community,” said Ms Kuvheya.

“Some residents have to part with huge sums of money on a daily basis as they have to buy the water from those with boreholes at their homes whilst others with cars are travelling long distances in search of the precious liquid.”

The residents pleaded with legislators in Chitungwiza to drill more boreholes using Community Development Fund (CDF) funds and also urged council to engage NGOs so that residents are provided with water treatment chemicals. Ms Kuvheya said in the event that some areas did not receive running water, council was supposed to provide residents with water bowsers to alleviate shortages.

When contacted for a comment, the town’s health services director Dr Tonderai Kasu dismissed reports of diarrhoea having been recorded in the area. “Currently, our surveillance systems have not detected any identified cases of typhoid or cholera in Chitungwiza,” he said.

“There are no cases of diarrhoea in excess of what we would normally experience during this time of the year. There are no noteworthy cases that have been reported from Manyame Park Phase 2.”

Recently, Chitungwiza mayor Lovemore Maiko said council was set to flight a tender to drill at least 25 boreholes around the town to ease water shortages.