The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has engaged four companies to tackle the city’s ongoing sewer blockage issues.
Bulawayo has been struggling to deal with a persistent sewer backlog, owing to the collapse of its ageing sewer infrastructure.
During a recent budget consultation meeting held in Ward 20, residents expressed frustration over the delayed response to sewer problems.
A resident, Sazini Ncube, said the sewer engineers take longer to attend to blockages.
“You go and report a sewer issue, and they don’t come. So, should we stay with sewage in our houses?” Ncube said.
Another resident, Bongani Khumalo, raised concerns about the lack of chemicals used to manage sewer odours.
“When we have a sewer burst, they no longer apply chemicals after repairing. We are advised to use sand instead to cover up, which is inadequate. We have kids at home, and sewage can still make us sick. Chemicals are necessary to kill germs,” Khumalo said.
However, another resident acknowledged the improvements made by the local authority.
“We had a sewer problem that the local authority managed to fix. Toilets and drains had blocked, but we appreciate the service.”
She urged other residents to avoid flushing inappropriate items such as diapers, spoons, and shoes.
“The responsibility to maintain our ward falls on us. We cannot expect help from outside our area,” she emphasized.
In response, BCC representative Sehlile Ndlovu confirmed that the council has hired four companies to manage sewer blockages across the city.
“There was a huge challenge when it came to sewer, but we now have four companies that have been employed. They started their job four weeks ago, and I am sure others will resume next month. We hope the sewer situation will improve,” said Ndlovu.
She further assured residents, “After two months, I promise you will see a great improvement. Four fully-fledged companies will be dealing with sewer blockages, and there will be significant progress.”
