Calvin Manika
RAILTON residents in Hwange have said they are lucky to have potable water at their disposal at a time other concessions are struggling to access the precious liquid.
Hwange has three concessions including a Local Board area. The concessions are owned by Hwange Colliery Company, Zimbabwe Power Company and National Railways of Zimbabwe.
It is in these concessions where water crisis is rife with the Hwange Colliery jurisdiction topping the list.
In these concessions residents have since resorted to store water in large quantities in containers.
Water crisis in Hwange is largely attributed to the damaged water distribution pipeline from Zambezi River.
Most of the residents are even struggling to maintain a small vegetable garden for self-sustenance.
In some areas water is only available between midnight and dawn, making lives difficult for residents while also exposing them to diseases.
The situation has however been different in Railton, a concession owned by the NRZ since a Roman Catholic Church managed to drill a borehole for supplementary water use just after the temple gate.
The church erected a jojo tank across the road in which the community draw water from nine taps available through an electric system.
However, the usual supply by NRZ is still being supplied in the morning.
Speaking to The Zambezi Times, Derrick Dube said: “We had a water crisis in this area because NRZ only supplies in the morning, but now we have plenty of water. This one borehole has nine taps and it opens from 6am to 6pm. To us it’s a full day. We thank the Roman Catholic Church for giving to the community.”
The availability of water in Railton has also assisted the community in properly enforcing measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 pandemic.
