RESIDENTS LET US DOWN: BCC

Local people are not playing their part in insuring quality service delivery from the local authorities, yet all the blame poor service is going to the authorities only, the city council have said.

People have always complained that the city councils take too long to attend to burst water pipes. The complaints were that the city council do not respond quickly but at the same time they demand that their high bills be paid in time. However, I have learnt that in as much as we can blame the city council, we must also ask ourselves such questions like ‘what have I done to try and alleviate this problem?’ whenever a problem involving water supply occur. Most of the people just do not care about what is happening to the pipes out there but just want water to be available in their houses.

On Monday, I was walking around the low density suburb of Selborne Park in Bulawayo when I came across a burst pipe. On the following day I passed through the same spot and the pipe had not been mended. Water was just flowing from the pipe in bulky quantities. I then passed by the spot on Thursday and that is when I was fortunate to find the water works guys working on the pipe. I asked them why they had took so long to mend the pipe.

In an answer one worker who agreed to talk to me said that they had become aware of the problem that day. The worker who agreed to be known only as Mr Ncube said that the problem was that people do not report these problems in time.After narrating to him when I first saw the problem, he fumed.

“why then did you not report the problem” said Ncube. “this is the problem with the residents. They do not report on time."

Mr. Ncube also said that some people, especially those without water at their homes, deliberately broke the pipes so that they could easily get the water.

Some people do not have water at their houses,” he said “and thus they deliberately break these pipes so that they get water close by or just to fix those who have water at their houses.”

Mr Ncube said that whenever there is a water pipe bust, the public must quickly call the main water department of the city council.  The number to call is (09) 65573.

It is our duty as responsible citizens to help the local authorities if we want quality service delivery. Let us play our part.