Ward 22 Councillor Mmeli Moyo has revealed that the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) is in the process of hiring personnel specifically to address sewer hotspot areas in the city.
The city has been struggling with sewer burst pipes due to several factors, including dilapidated infrastructure and water shortages.
Speaking during The Breakfast Club, Councillor Moyo said the population in his ward overwhelms the current sewer system.
“Nkulumane and Nketa are old suburbs. When the engineers put in the sewer pipes, they were targeting a specific population, which at the time was very small, around 7,000 or below. However, I campaigned here, and I know the population has now grown to over 11,000 people in Ward 22. This means our sewer system is no longer accommodating the current population. We have homeowners and tenants, so the population has increased, and as a result, the system is failing to contain the waste,” he said.
He also mentioned that water shortages in the city are exacerbating the sewer system issues.
“The shortage of water contributes to the sewer challenge because our system is designed for water to push the sewer. When there is no water, the sludge gets stuck in the pipe, and when water comes with pressure, we encounter resistance in our flow, resulting in sewer bursts. These are systematic challenges we face.”
Moyo noted that the local authority is employing plumbers to address hotspot areas, as sewer bursts have become a serious issue.
“I am aware of the hotspot areas in my ward where sewer bursts almost every day. When I came into power, I pushed for a redesign of the system map to try and change the situation.”
“What is happening at the Council at the moment is that we have employed plumbers who are supposed to critically target hotspots in each ward. This is ongoing, and we hope they will address the issue soon because sewer bursts have become a pandemic,” he said.
Councillor Moyo added that the response time from council employees to sewer bursts is slow due to a lack of motivation.
“The urgency from our City Council employees is low because, firstly, they lack motivation, earning in ZIG, and secondly, they are few. No one desires to work for the council because they say it’s not paying. This is something we need to change because we need to take care of Bulawayo, not just for us, but for the next generation,” he said.
