The Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) cut off raw water supply to Beitbridge town on Tuesday due to unpaid arrears amounting to approximately US$196,000 (ZWG 2,711,362.80).
In a communication to the local authority, ZINWA stated it could no longer provide water until the municipality settles its outstanding debts. The letter explained:
ZINWA provides bulk raw water to Beitbridge Municipality, which then processes and distributes it to local residents. ZINWA draws water from the Limpopo River into off-river storage dams, which supply the municipality’s treatment facilities.
The authority incurs costs for electricity, operations, and maintenance to deliver water to Beitbridge, which should be covered by the municipality’s payments. ZINWA charges the Beitbridge municipality an average of ZWG 550,000 per month for raw water, but the local authority has only been paying around ZWG 140,000 monthly.
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The letter added:
This payment shortfall has led to an accumulation of outstanding bills totaling ZWG 2,711,362.80. Due to this unsustainable payment pattern, ZINWA is unable to continue supplying raw water to Beitbridge, including covering electricity and maintenance costs.
Consequently, ZINWA has decided to suspend water supplies to Beitbridge until the municipality addresses its arrears.
Beitbridge Municipality’s Acting Town Clerk, Engineer Douglas Siphuma, confirmed the situation to CITE, stating that a notice was sent to residents urging them to settle their bills to restore water service. Siphuma noted:
The Municipality of Beitbridge informs residents and stakeholders that ZINWA has halted the bulk water supply to the town. This interruption affects the entire town.
Despite previous efforts to encourage timely payments through support systems like payment plans and enforcement measures, the payments have not reached a sufficient level to clear the debt.
While the municipality is negotiating with ZINWA for a resolution, residents and stakeholders are urged to make serious efforts to pay their water bills. They are also advised to use boreholes and conserve water.
Urban residents in Zimbabwe face challenges that complicate their ability to pay municipal bills. Many rely on unstable and low-paying informal jobs, making regular expenses difficult to manage. Additionally, frequent service disruptions and high municipal service costs relative to average incomes contribute to the struggle to keep up with payments.
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