Chinhoyi (New Ziana) – Chinhoyi residents are up in arms with the local municipality over high water charges when the commodity was only available intermittently.

On best days, residents get water only for a few hours a day in some suburbs, while others have no access to the commodity at all.

Yet the city fathers recently hiked water charges, among other service charges such as refuse collection.

Fuming residents said what irked them the most is that water, to lucky suburbs, was only available a few hours a day, while to the unlucky ones, it was not available at all.

Perpetua Ndoro, a resident of Ruvimbo One suburb, said council was billing them yet they have had no water for the last five months.

“Why are water bills high yet we do not have water on a daily basis. Ruvimbo Phase One has gone for five months without water but we are paying the water bill just like everyone else and it’s not fair,” she said.

This was echoed by Jane Chakata, a resident from Hunyani suburb.

“Water is life, people should have it on a daily basis. It is not fair that the bill has doubled and the water is not coming out every day. It comes out as early as 3am and goes around 5 am, the time-frame is too short, people will not have filled all their containers,” she said.

But council spokesman, Tichaona Mlauzi said the municipality was not out to make a profit on water, and only passed on cost increases from suppliers.

He denied that the municipality was billing residents with no access to water.

“Water is never charged on a profit basis. It is based on cost build up. We only recover the cost of production. People are not charged for water they did not consume,” he said.

New Ziana