Possible water cuts could result in health risks

The directorate of disease control has warned that threatened countrywide water cuts by the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA), could result in the spread of diseases like cholera. ZINWA, a parastatal charged with managing and distributing water, has threatened to disconnect supplies to councils in a bid to recover a soaring collective debt estimated at around Zim $200,000,000 (US $50,000). Dr Stanley Midzi, the director of disease prevention and control in the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, told IRIN that there could be a nationwide outbreak of epidemic illnesses such as cholera and dysentery if ZINWA went ahead with its plan. "I would urge ZINWA to pursue all possible avenues of dialogue in resolving the debt problem with the local authorities. The immediate result of such action would be catastrophic, because the absence of water facilitates [would lead to] the quick breeding and spread of hygiene- related diseases." Although the department had enough medical supplies to deal with an outbreak of these waterborne diseases, its financial and human resources were already overstretched. "We would not want ZINWA to test our systems to the point of exhaustion by causing an artificial catastrophe - they should talk to the local authorities and save lives. Others say prevention is better, but we would like to add that it is cheaper than cure," said Midzi. Fani Phiri, president of the Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe (UCAZ) and also the mayor of Kadoma in the Midlands province, said the association was looking forward to an emergency meeting with ZINWA to resolve outstanding issues. The meeting is expected to take place next week. Although Phiri did not have the figures, he confirmed that urban councils were heavily indebted to ZINWA, but added that these councils had grounds for refusing to pay. "Most of the authorities say they will not pay until ZINWA considers their plea for a reduction in water tariffs. Councils feel that ZINWA is overcharging, and that is beyond the budgets of local authorities," Phiri explained. He said the combined effect of a high water tariff and the expense of importing water treatment chemicals would eventually force the councils to pass on the costs to consumers - the water authority had increased consumer tariffs by between 80 percent and 100 percent in August last year. The revised rates for 2004, proposed by most councils, were already being resisted by residents, while the Central Statistical Office's Consumer Price Index for last month indicated that rents and rates went up by 97 percent. The councils would also ask ZINWA to reduce its new water pollution fines, among other grievances to be tackled at the planned emergency meeting, said Phiri. ZINWA increased its pollution fines by 2,900 percent in July last year, resulting in an outcry from local authorities. ZINWA’s recent water shut-off threat is the second in six months. In September last year it threatened to cut supplies to all urban and rural authorities in Matabeleland South province over a collective debt which had soared to over US $24,000. The cut was only averted by the intervention of government and UCAZ, after strong protests from health officials who feared major disease outbreaks. Phiri said the shortage of water treatment chemicals that urban authorities faced last year had eased, following an allocation of almost US $300,000 by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to fund the importation of chemicals from neighbouring South Africa and Botswana.