Court Gives Council 60 Days To Supply Adequate, Constant, Clean And Potable Water To Residents
Mutare High Court Judge Justice Muzenda has given Mutasa Rural District Council 60 days to supply adequate, constant, clean and potable water to Penhalonga residents as provided for in terms of Section 77 of the Constitution.
Zimbabwe Lawyer for Human Rights (ZLHR) resorted to litigation after Mutasa Rural District Council stopped providing residents with a constant and uninterrupted water supply without notice.
The local clinic and some schools were not spared from the water shortages with students at Tsvingwe Primary & Tsvingwe High School being requested to bring their own water for use at school.
At the local clinic, expecting mothers and patients were also requested to bring their own water thereby exposing the community to diseases.
The lawyers say access to adequate, constant, clean and potable water is of much significance to the attainment of people’s economic, social and cultural rights.
This is happening as Harare City Council has announced that it has shut down the Morton Jaffray Waterworks for at least 48 hours citing “unprecedented chemical supply challenges.”
Local government authorities have been struggling to supply adequate, constant, clean and potable water to ratepayers citing issues like ageing water infrastructure and their inability to procure the necessary chemicals to treat water sources.
