Mutare City Council officials say the local municipality is making frantic efforts to mobilize additional resources to the tune of US$450 000 to execute works for the completion for a water pipeline project.
In a progress update of the project council, spokesperson Spren Mutiwi said work for the Christmas Pass -Dangamvura reservoirs waterline project is progressing well, with exhumation works of old asbestos cement pipes almost complete.
Mutiwi said residents and ratepayers must now play their part as the remaining funds will be raised internally.
“Funding is key towards the success of the project and this is now being funded internally hence the need for residents to pay their outstanding debts become a key component.
“We are owed millions of dollars and we believe that once the debtors begin to decline that will give impetus to the project. So it’s serious work being carried out as we move towards retiring the perennial problem in Dangamvura,” he said.
Mutiwi said exhumation of previously laid 450mm Asbestos Cement (AC) water pipes, which will be replaced by Glass Reinforced Pipes (GRP) from Golden Peacock to Roman Catholic University is currently ongoing.
He said the work plan is on schedule, while training of operators and mechanics has been completed in adherence to government regulations.
“One step at a time we are moving towards reducing the perennial water challenges in Dangamvura. The full consignment of the GRP water pipes that were procured in South Africa by the ZimFund project is already at our site office.
“We are moving with a fast pace to ensure that laying of pipes is be done before the onset of the rain season. We are also exhuming some of the pipes coz the will not be able to stand the high pressure since they were done manually and leaving them will create problems in the shortest period.
“We now have all the required staff, but we still need more material and to procure more equipment and that hinges on Council securing the $450 000.00 required to execute the works,” said Mutiwi.
“We are very much committed to address the Dangamvura water shortages and give our esteemed residents a dignified living standard that befits urban setup.”
City management is seriously considering introducing a water levy to raise the outstanding US$450 000 needed to complete the Christmas Pass-Dangamvura reservoir water transmission pipeline.
Town Clerk Joshua Maligwa said the council will carry out extensive consultations with stakeholders and ratepayers before adopting the water levy, to assist in raising outstanding funds needed for the water project.
“We still need US$450 000 to complete the project we will try to raise this amount.
“We are also proposing to levy, it’s a proposal which we are mooting at the moment, a Dangamvura pipeline levy which we also intend to use to raise the funds.
“What we will do first is to consult all the residents, stakeholders, business people, and industry through their representatives like the Confederations of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) and Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC).
“If people agree with the view of the need for a levy for the pipeline we will adopt that but at the moment we are using other means to raise adequate funds for the pipeline,” said Maligwa.
