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Chitungwiza Municipality has engaged the Japanese International Corporation Agency (JICA) to repair the biological nutrient removal (sewer) plant in Zengeza industrial area that it constructed in 2000, which has been dysfunctional for the past nine years.

In an interview, Chitungwiza town clerk Mr George Makunde said the company had agreed in principal to resuscitate the plant once council confirmed certain conditions.

“Yes, we have engaged JICA for a possible deal to repair our sewer plant which has not been functional since 2009 and they are willing to do it and the process is still ongoing,” he said.

The engagement is a result of recommendations made by stakeholders at a workshop held in April by the municipality and other local authorities on data collection survey on water supply and sewage sector in the Greater Harare area.
This prompted JICA, which attended the meeting, to send a survey team to the sewer plant.

A JICA delegation on Wednesday submitted its survey report to the council.
Mr Makunde said JICA highlighted that there was need for council to increase its revenue collection from 51 percent to 75 percent for it to meet the general expenses of repairs.

“They also indicated that if places like Nyatsime are regularised, the number of houses paying rates to council would increase by 15 000 and according to their estimates revenue collection would increase from $2,2 million to about $5,870 million,” said Mr Makunde. — Herald Reporter.