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Masvingo Correspondent
A crippling water shortage has hit Masvingo, sparking fears of disease outbreaks.

The water woes, which have been attributed to a technical problem at Bushmead Waterworks, come as the city has announced that it was on high alert for typhoid following an outbreak of the disease in the Midlands provincial capital of Gweru that has so far claimed eight lives.

Water shortages started last Thursday, forcing desperate residents to turn to council-owned boreholes.

The quality of some of the borehole water is still to be ascertained.

Masvingo United Ratepayers and Residents Alliance (MURRA) spokesperson Mr Godfrey Mutimba urged council to urgently address the water problems to avert an outbreak of diseases.

“We urge the city council to rectify whatever problems which are causing the water problems so that residents can start getting running water through their taps,” he said.

“As we all know that water is a human right for every citizen, we expect our residents to have access to water.”

Prominent Masvingo hotelier Mr Edison Zvobgo (Jnr) described the water shortage as a scandal, saying the situation could spark an outbreak of typhoid.

“The water shortage is a scandal for the business world and for the residents,” he said. “We urge council to keep carrying out routine maintenance of their water pumping system and not to wait until it breaks down to fix problems.”

Town Clerk Mr Adolf Gusha attributed the problem to multiple faults on the water pumping infrastructure.

“Due to multiple faults on the pumping equipment, the water pumping capacity is constrained to half the normal supplies since Thursday (last week) night,” he said. “As a result, water supplies have been low resulting in water shortages in most parts of the city.

“We are seized with carrying out the repairs, some of the equipment has been taken to Harare for repairs. While every effort is being made to expedite the repairs, we are unable to give a date when we will return to full pumping capacity.”