Faith Ndou
GUTU-Mupandawana Town residents have raised serious concerns over poor planning, saying heavy downpours that occurred last month have turned their lives into a nightmare and exposed glaring failures by Gutu Rural District Council.
The district has been receiving persistent heavy rains since December last year, with three consecutive weeks of incessant downpours recently laying bare what residents describe as poor workmanship in town planning.
This has prompted angry residents to confront their councillors, demanding urgent intervention.
Chomfuli and Munhende suburbs which residents say were developed on wetlands, have been hardest hit. The areas reportedly lack storm water drainage systems, leaving them waterlogged and impassable.
Residents called on the Council’s engineering department to urgently address the situation saying the state of the suburbs is a disgrace to Mupandawana’s aspirations of attaining full town status.
“Munhende and Chomfuli have always been wetland areas even before the growth point era. The Council engineering department should have paid extra attention when planning these suburbs,” said one resident.
Residents said the stands were allocated during a prolonged low-rainfall period from around 2008 masking the risks associated with the terrain.
“We have never experienced anything like this. With no storm drains to channel water, the rains just accumulated everywhere, flooding into our houses, destroying furniture and disturbing family life,” another resident said.
Road infrastructure in the affected suburbs has also been severely damaged with vehicles frequently getting stuck in mud.
“Cars getting stuck is now a daily occurrence. Roads have almost disappeared after being washed away. Drivers have to pay tractors to pull them out. While others celebrate the rains, we are living in hell,” said a resident from Chomfuli.
Residents further warned of serious health risks arising from water contamination.
“Our health is at risk from water borne diseases. We rely on shallow wells because the area rarely gets ZINWA water. With flooded septic tanks and wells, there is a high chance of faecal contamination,” said a resident.
During a tour of the affected suburbs later last month, following storms that blew off roofs from six houses and damaged solar panels at the Makombo Grounds solarised piped water project, Ward Councillor Proud Chifamba confirmed receiving daily complaints.
“I am receiving complaints on a daily basis about the state of Munhende and Chomfuli. I have since engaged the Council engineer and there are assurances that corrective measures will be taken once the rains subside,” said Councillor Chifamba.
Similar complaints have been raised in Old Location, Mupandawana Extension and the Central Business District, where residents cited the poor state of roads.
In Mupandawana Extension, residents blamed a private developer who allegedly sold and allocated stands but failed to service roads and drainage infrastructure.
Concerns have also been raised over the allocation of business stands along water channels around the CBD. Stand owners have reportedly dug out pit sand at their sites, leaving deep open pits that have filled with water, forming dam-like pools.
Residents from surrounding areas including Mupandawana, Mutsambiwa and Munangarwa villages said the pools pose a danger to children and livestock and have become breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
Acting Chief Executive Officer for Gutu Rural District Council Thomas Meya, admitted that poor planning in some residential areas had contributed to flooding and infrastructure damage.
“We acknowledge that there were planning challenges in Munhende and Chomfuli which have led to flooding in homes and road damage. These areas are now a priority for Council and corrective work will begin soon,” said Meya.
