Banket to invest in sewer upgrade as government approves 2023 budget

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By Elvis Dumba
Banket Town Board is set to invest in sewer reticulation upgrades after the current one is no longer coping with its growing population.
The sewer challenge in Banket has become a major health concern for some of the residents who have been literally living with flowing sewers in their homes.
The upgrading of the sewer ponds to allow them to cope with the town’s growing population is one of the major projects expected to be implemented by the local authority.
The local authority had its 2023’s zwl$1,835,972,744.00  budget proposal approved by the Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Hon July Moyo.
Zvimba Rural District Council Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Aenas Chidakwa, implored residents to support the local authority to provide sustainable service delivery through timeous payment of bills.
“We humbly appeal to all of our stakeholders to timeously pay their monthly bills and clear outstanding bills so that we can offer sustainable service delivery,” he said.
Chidakwa said the new tariffs are pegged in United States Dollars but payable in local currency at the prevailing bank rate at the time of payment.
The sewer reticulation system in Banket is now aged and no longer able to cope with the needs of the growing population which has more than trebled in the past years.
Some residents said they are afraid of diseases such as cholera and typhoid since flowing sewers into homes have become a regular feature at their homes.
“We live in fear of diseases as we live with constant sewer bursts that usually flow all over the home and we have crawling children whom we will be forced to carry all the time whilst little children go through a torrid time in navigating the sewer-filled homes,”  Samson Musapurwa said
Inhabitants in this town who also include children have to navigate in the raw effluent from burst sewer pipes at their homes and an upgrade of the sewer system is long overdue.
“The 2023 budget is earmarked to improve service delivery through rehabilitation of the sewer ponds, upgrading of Kuwadzana Poly Clinic, Kuwadzana 2 Primary School Construction as we move to attain a smart town status by 2025,”  the council boss Chidakwa said.