Bulawayo tap water unsafe after water cuts Mr Kenneth Nyoni holds up a bottle of cloudy water that comes out of Iminyela suburb taps

Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu & Dennis Mudzamiri, Health Reporters
DRINKING water that comes out from a tap in the first five minutes after a lengthy water cut is unsafe, scores of Bulawayo residents have found out after being admitted to hospital with diarrhoea.

Residents claimed that they developed symptoms after drinking water.

Medical experts have since advised residents to allow rusty or contaminated water to flow out for about five minutes before taking it for potable use.

The most affected residents are from Luveve suburb who have been complaining of diarrhoea for the past two weeks.

Three family members had to be admitted to Mpilo Central Hospital after drinking contaminated water.

Diarrhoea can be defined as loose, watery bowel movements that may occur frequently and with a sense of urgency.

Causes include stress, alcohol abuse, food poisoning, food intolerance, liquid diets and use of laxatives.

The running tummy complaints come during implementation of a six-day weekly water shedding exercise by the Bulawayo City Council as the local authority is battling the worst water challenge in history.

Residents are forced to store water in their homes or scramble for the precious liquid from limited communal boreholes in the city.

“Since we have water challenges, we usually drink water without boiling when supply is restored. Water is usually cut for three continuous days and when we drink it, we develop diarrhoea which has been going on for a month or so until we went to Luveve Clinic,” said Mr Smanga Ncube.

“My whole family was affected and though we recovered after taking medication, my wife is still at Mpilo Central Hospital. We had to take her there on Saturday as she was becoming weaker and to our surprise, we found fellow residents from Luveve presenting with the same symptoms,” said Mr Ncube.

Mr Chrispen Ngulube from Old Luveve said when he developed a running tummy, he thought it was a reaction to food.

“I had a problem with my stomach last Monday and started suffering from diarrhoea. This persisted for a while and before weekend my wife complained of the same issues,” said Mr Ngulube.

“On explaining to my neighbours, I was surprised to learn that they were having the same problem. There has been an outbreak of diarrhoea in Luveve suburb and we can safely link it to the water we are drinking.”

Mr Ngulube’s neighbour Ms Eugen Nleya also said seven of her eight family members had been affected.

“I was alarmed when I received group WhatsApp messages from neighbouring suburbs of New Luveve and Luveve 5 alerting me of the diarrhoea problem my peers were also facing there. We surely need help because we know that it is definitely coming from the water. Sometimes the water will be smelly and we wonder what can be done.”

Council director of health services Dr Edwin Sibanda said he had received the complaints and encouraged members of the public to be extra careful when drinking water.

He said Bulawayo residents have never developed a culture of boiling or treating water as it has always been safe to drink straight from the tap. “We are in a water crisis and residents may be victims of the water that comes out in the first 5 minutes following cuts. When water is cut, some remains in the pipes until water is restored. That water which remains in the pipe is subject to some reactions which means when water is restored, residents should let it run for about five minutes before drinking directly from the tap,” said Dr Sibanda.

He said residents should not consider storing water collected within the first few minutes after water is restored.

“The correct thing is they should collect the water but not drink it. They may keep it for a while and boil it before drinking it. As Bulawayo residents we do not have the culture of boiling water as our water is safe which then becomes a challenge when we have a crisis like this,” said Dr Sibanda.

“Unfortunately, we are now being forced to do some extra activity on top of collecting the water whenever supply is restored. Residents should consider boiling the water or using waterguard or Jik in the correct proportions.”

Dr Sibanda he said anyone who presented at any council run clinic would be attended to and followed up.

“We are going to liaise with Mpilo Central Hospital for those who are admitted there so that we ensure they are helped,” he said. -@thamamoe

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