"The water crisis has compromised hygiene standards in the city as some residents have resorted to using unprotected water for domestic use and sewerage systems are functioning far below capacity due to lack of water. There are fears of more disease outbreaks in the drier parts of the city." she added.
Bulawayo's normal daily water consumption for the city's 1.25 million residents used to be an average of 145,000 cubic metres but has been reduced to 45,000 cubic metres a day as four of the five dams supplying the city with water have dried up.
World Vision has rehabilitated 94 boreholes in the city. Residents spend hours queuing at the boreholes to obtain the precious liquid for domestic use.
To avert further outbreaks and boost hygiene awareness, World Vision will sponsor a radio programme that will be aired on a popular local radio station in Bulawayo.
World Vision Zimbabwe Water and Sanitation Co-coordinator Moreblessings Munyaka said that the programme aims to educate the residents of Bulawayo on how best to prevent the spread of diseases, such as diarrhea, which can be fatal for young children, and even adults, if not treated promptly.
"Issues such as basic hygiene and food handling will be emphasised. Residents will also be given a platform to share ideas on how best they can conserve the little water resources that they have left," she said.
Commenting on the water crisis, a 36-year-old resident of Magwegwe High Density Surburb, said, "If it wasn't for World Vision rehabilitating boreholes in our area, we would still be relying on a dirty, unprotected open well."
The mother of four found it difficult to boil water due to frequent power outages and scarcity of firewood, increasingly common in urban areas.
"My family suffered from diarrhea often. But when World Vision installed a borehole for us, this problem disappeared from my home," she said.
Source: World Vision
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