RUWA Board in Dilemma

Source: The Herald (Harare)

Date: December 10, 2004

Author: Anon

Ruwa Local Board is in a dilemma after the Epworth Local Board turned down its request to expand its sewage works at Adelaide Farm, where Epworth has plans for residential expansion.

To complicate issues, Ruwa does not have money to build a new plant.

And worsening its woes, Ruwa pays $59 million to Goromonzi Rural District Council a year for the use of its cemetery.

According to minutes of the Ruwa Local Board's full meeting held in November, the expansion of the works was to accommodate increased sewage output.

The works built on a piece of land being leased from Epworth Local Board were initially designed to cater for only 5,3 megalitres of sewage a day.

The ponds occupy 16 hectares and Ruwa wants to expand it to 60 hectares.

But because of an additional 13 000 housing units being built, the works are failing to cope.

"Epworth Local Board communicated to Ruwa quite recently that it had other plans for the Adelaide Estate and thus would not allow or consider the request to expand the sewage treatment works," reads part of the minutes.

The decision by Epworth comes after Ruwa had approved a $1 billion budget to expand the sewage works.

The board suggested that Epworth, together with Government, should be engaged with a view to asking for the rescinding of the resolution.

It was the board's feeling that over-reliance on other local authorities was costing Ruwa Local Board.