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Sukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
SEVERAL clinics and schools in Bulilima District are operating without water, councillors from the area have revealed. One of the worst affected clinics is Bezu which has been operating without water for almost a year. The clinic was opened in June last year but it has no water supply as a result of an engine failure. Councillors said yesterday after a District Water and Sanitation Sub-Committee review and planning meeting that most villagers were relying on unsafe water sources.
The councillor of Malanswazi area, Sylvester Ndlovu, said a clinic in his area had been operating for the past four months without water.  He said patients were expected to bring their own water.

“There is only one clinic in my ward which is Nswazi Clinic. The borehole which was being used there broke down about four months ago and the rule which has been laid ever since is that patients have to bring their own water.

“In cases whereby the patient is very critical he or she has to find people who can assist with water. The staff at the clinic are forced to look for water from a nearby school or in other cases they collect from rivers but they have to walk a long distance to do this,” said Ndlovu.
He said the villagers were also affected by the water situation as most water points were far away.

“People are still walking as far as 10 kilometres in order to reach water points. The whole ward has about 10 operational boreholes and about 20 are broken down and they need to be repaired.

“It is a cause for concern if people have to travel such a long distance just to get water which they are entitled to have access to. Some villagers end up going to neighbouring wards in order to get water,” said Ndlovu.

Another councillor, Bornface Phiri, of Matjinge Ward said school children in his area were drinking dirty water.
“I have a primary school in my ward which does not have safe drinking water for children. Children from Gampu Primary get their water from a canal that runs outside the school.

“This water is very dirty as the canal carries water from Moza Dam to Moza irrigation. Attempts have been made by school authorities to stop the children from drinking this water but that has been fruitless because pupils would be desperate for drinking water which the school cannot offer,” he said.