ZimFund brings back normalcy to Redcliff

14 Jul, 2019 - 00:07 0 Views

The Sunday Mail

TAKING a walk in Torwood and Rutendo high-density suburbs in Redcliff, “Home of the Steelmakers”, located about 220km south-west of Harare, one cannot help but notice small “pipes” protruding from the residents’ yards.

The pipes were meant to transport sewage from residents’ homes, albeit temporarily. But for close to two decades, spillage of sewage into households had been a daily menace for the people of Torwood and Rutendo suburbs.

“My last born son, who is now 21 years old, enjoyed only the first two years of his life in a home free from spilling sewage. For the next 18 years, sewage all over our home would form part of his normal life. As time went on, we all got used to the stinky smell. That is how we adapted,” said the 55-year-old Gogo Tshuma, a resident of Rutendo High Density Suburb.

Another resident of Rutendo, 58-year-old Mr Forbes Muzanzi said, “Daily, I woke up early morning to scoop the sewage out of the yard. For me, it was worse because the sewer manhole was in my yard and it burst regularly, flooding the whole house with raw sewage. My children called it ‘Dad’s sewage’, because of how I religiously tried to get it out of the yard and sternly warned them against playing close to it”.

A 71-year-old Gogo Mamvura, a resident of Torwood section Q and a former Zisco employee added, “We constantly called the municipality officials to help, but it was short-term. They are the ones who gave us the small pipes that we connected to the drain to discharge the sewage outside the yard, though it then flooded the streets. It was difficult.”

The majority of residents staying in Torwood and Rutendo suburbs are former Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company (Zisco) employees, the home of Zimbabwe’s once giant steel production company. At its peak, Zisco was Africa’s largest integrated steel works, producing up to one million tonnes of steel annually and employing at least 8 000 people.

However, steel production has declined over the years due to the country’s economic crisis, which has severely affected the living standards of Redcliff’s largely urban residents.

Zisco formerly owned the sewer and water infrastructure in Redcliff before it was handed over to the Municipality in the 1990s.

Dilapidated sewer systems, coupled with the growing population in Redcliff, has seen raw sewage discharging into the environment, more so in residents’ homes, which is a potential health hazard.

To help improve wastewater management in Redcliff, ZimFund Urgent Water Supply and Sanitation Rehabilitation Project (UWSSRP), under Phase II, replaced almost 4km of the old, small and broken sewer pipelines in Torwood and Rutendo suburbs, benefiting close to 6 000 households.

The works, which were aimed at removing sewage from residents’ homes and reduce incidences of water-borne diseases, were completed in December 2018, bringing back normalcy to residents such as Mr Muzanzi and Gogo Tshuma.

“I would like to thank ZimFund from the bottom of my heart. We now live a normal life ever since they replaced the pipes last year. Our houses can now attract tenants because there is no more sewage flowing everywhere”, said Mr Muzanzi, jokingly adding that he was willing to sell his house for US$25 if the sewage problem resurfaced.

“When the sewage disappeared from my house last year, I could not believe it. We now breathe fresh air and my grandchildren have the freedom to play anywhere. If I had money, I would have thrown a party just to celebrate the achievement,” said Gogo Tshuma with a beaming face while hand shelling her maize and seated next to her temporary sewer “pipe”, which is still intact.

Other wastewater management project works under ZimFund include rehabilitation of Torwood ponds filter drying beds, Torwood ponds, Torwood Sewage Pump house, Redcliff Sewage Treatment Works, Rutendo Sewage Treatment Pond, Rutendo Sewage Treatment Works and supply of sewer cleaning vehicles.

All these rehabilitation works are meant to ensure safe discharge of properly treated sewage into the environment, which will result in a reduction of incidences of water-borne diseases and improve residents’ quality of life. The project is still ongoing and is expected to be complete by August 2019, benefiting close to 40 000 residents of Redcliff.

ZimFund is a US$145 million water and sanitation and energy programme, which was established in 2010 after the 2008 cholera outbreak.

The ZimFund programme is generously supported by the governments and people of Australia, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.

ZimFund is managed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) as part of its operations to improve the quality of life in Zimbabwe. The African Development Bank also supports water and sanitation projects in other locations such as Bulawayo and Marondera and other sectors in Zimbabwe, including agriculture, transport, social, private, financial and energy sectors.

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ZimFund donors, the African Development Bank, its Board of Directors or the countries they represent.

 

For feedback and more information kindly contact ZimFund Communications via [email protected] and [email protected]

 

Share This:

Survey


We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey

This will close in 20 seconds