Bulawayo City Council has vowed to put to end perennial diarrhea problems caused by erratic water supply that has sometimes seen the municipality rationing the precious liquid.
About 884 diarrhea cases have been recorded in Bulawayo since the beginning of 2022 amid reports that erratic water supply by the local authority is putting many residents at risk of contracting the water-borne disease.
The director of health services Dr Edwin Sibanda said the council was working flat out to fix sewer pipes as a measure to avert diarrhea in Bulawayo.
“We are currently working on all blocked sewer challenges to ensure that we address the challenge. Our engineers are also working on the water situation as we know that it has been fueling some of the cases we have been recording of late.
“In terms of case management, we have done so well because at one time we recorded 200 cases just from one area which was way too much,” said Dr Sibanda.
“We are aware that the water shedding schedule is on and we cannot guarantee the quality of water that comes out after cuts as the pipes would have gone for more than 48 hours without running water,” he added.
While residents are resorting to boreholes scattered around the city, the council has warned that the water is not safe for drinking and must be treated before consumption.
Bacteriological quality of borehole water could not be guaranteed since the water was untreated and subject to contamination from environmental factors like sewer overflows and bacteriological contaminated soil.
Residents were therefore advised to boil borehole water before drinking it or using it for domestic consumption.
