The Hwange Local Board (HLB) has given residents an ultimatum to replace squat toilets with sitting ones as part of its efforts to curb recurring sewer blockages.
In April, the local authority made a resolution compelling property owners who are using squat toilets to discard them.
HLB said the squat toilets were contributing to recurrent sewer blockages and sewage overflows in areas they are predominantly used.
It then gave residents six months to replace the squat toilets and the deadline is now looming. HLB Dumisani Nsingo said:
Councillors passed a resolution to have all squat toilets replaced and some of the residents have since acceded to the decision.
In any event, we expect residents using squat toilets to embrace sitting toilets as these are modern. Squat toilets are archaic, having been used in the 1960s and 1970s.
He said the local authority plans to upgrade the entire sewer reticulation system in Empumalanga to meet the demands of an expanding settlement.
The Empumalanga treatment plant broke down ten years ago and as a result, HLB has been struggling to dispose of solid human waste.
Nsingo said the rehabilitation of the sewer treatment plant is set to begin. | The Sunday News