The Community Water Alliance (CWA) and other stakeholders are lobbying for the diarrhoea outbreak in Harare’s Glen View high-density suburb to be declared a national disaster. This comes after the outbreak has persisted in the absence of potable water.
There are also reports suggesting that Harare City Council authorities’ response rate to finding a solution to sewer bursts has been poor. This has worsened the situation.
The City of Harare is reporting to partners that these areas have been addressed and yet some houses are flooded with sewer.
Concerns are growing over the possibility of an outbreak of other waterborne diseases including cholera and typhoid. The affected people are reportedly being asked to pay at clinics despite an announcement by city health director Prosper Chonzi that all those affected would get free services.
Glen View was one of the cholera hotspots like year. The outbreak killed more than 50 people and left hundreds hospitalised.
More: News Day