Company rescues Gweru residents from water woes

Gweru (New Ziana) – River Valley Properties, a prominent property developer in the Midlands Province, has come to the rescue of some Gweru residents facing water challenges by providing a 15 000 litre water bowzer in some of the most affected areas in Mkoba.

The residents in the affected areas had gone for four months without water.

River Valley Properties chief executive officer, Smelly Dube said the water bowser would be regularly deployed in Mkoba to mitigate the water woes.

“We will provide the water bowzer at least twice a week in Mkoba 15, 17, 18, 20 and 21, which are the most affected areas,” she said.

Dube said the move was part of her company’s social responsibility projects.

“We are operating in this area, and this is part of our corporate social responsibility to intervene by providing a service to the people, thereby supporting our government,” she said.

Residents expressed relief over the company’s gesture, and thanked it for coming to their rescue.

Gogo Lilian Tarugarira of Mkoba 17, whose water woes were featured recently in the newspaper, couldn’t believe it when the River Valley Properties bowzer parked at her gate.

“I would like to thank Dr Dube for this kind gesture, we had gone for four months without receiving water from council,” she said.

She said she never thought sharing her plight with the media would be beneficial.

Another resident, Taurai Mudzingwa appealed to River Valley Properties to continue the good gesture.

“We are in a fix and I want to humbly ask these people not to be weary. Imagine four months without water.

“The toilets are always full and it is by the grace of God that we have not had a breakout of one of the deadly diseases,” Mudzingwa said.

Until now, residents were either using boreholes in the area, which were always packed with people, or scoop water from a leaky council pipeline to get by.

Some residents resorted to digging wells at their homes, and those who found water took advantage and sold the precious commodity to unlucky ones.

A council water tank in Mkoba 14, which is supposed to feed Mkoba 15, 17, 18, 19 and 20 broke down, causing the water shortages in the area.

But Gweru faces an even bigger water problem from the drying up of its main water sources – Amapongokwe and Gwenoro dams which are 35 percent and 15 percent full respectively.

The city’s pumping capacity has also declined, with council pumping only 40 megalitres per day against a demand of 80 megalitres.

And more than 40 percent of treated water is lost through leakages because of the old pipes.

New Ziana