Suburban
Constant pipe bursts are being blamed for worsening the endless water woes in Avondale, which falls under Ward 7.
Peter Tanyanyiwa Suburban Reporter
Parts of the suburb, which have been dogged by persistent water problems due to the pipe bursts, include East Road, Mandel, Natal, Aberdeen Road and areas of Avondale West. The pipe bursts have been attributed to the ageing rusty steel pipes which the City of Harare has been replacing in some suburbs with PVC pipes.
Former Ward 7 Councillor Happymore Gotora, who is among a number of the MDC Alliance councillors recalled by another faction of the opposition led by Mr Douglas Mwonzora following a dispute on the leadership of the party, confirmed that the water woes in Avondale were deepening as a result of the continuous pipe bursts.
Mr Gotora said of late he has been receiving numerous calls from residents complaining and asking if he could inquire about the water crisis in the ward as residents have no one to turn to. He said has been attending to the residents’ calls because while he was no longer in council, he is still a resident of Ward 7 and also a part of the community affected by council’s failure to provide services to ratepayers.
“Of late I have been receiving numerous calls from residents complaining that they have no water, and when I followed the issue up with contacts at City of Harare that’s when I was notified that our ward is experiencing many water pipes bursts and the local authority is trying to replace the old water pipes but in so doing, they will also have to shut down water hence at some point because of one area the whole ward is affected,” he said.
“The residents still come to me and surprisingly some don’t know I was recalled. Some are elderly, some are physically challenged and in such a situation you are moved to act as a community leader and find out what the problem will be.. .”
So yes, the water pipes (replacement) programme is ongoing and on a personal note I am happy as these pipes were now old and I am glad they are doing something about it,” said Mr Gotora.
