WATER is a fundamental basic human right that determines quality of life and its provision should be the uppermost priority to contain the spread of waterborne diseases.

VISET information

Women and children bear the burden of water collection in many households and this exposes them to abuse and harassment at water points, especially at night.

There have been reports of people queuing for hours on end and sometimes spending days in such queues.

In this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is unfortunate that no social distancing or sanitisation has been taking place at the water points, thereby creating fertile ground for the spread of pandemic.

It was and remains VISET’s hope and prayer that there can be a broad-based convention of local authorities, government, civic players and donors to come up with lasting solutions to a crisis that has confronted us for some time.

As has been proven by history, hiking of tariffs and rates alone is not a solution, neither is the anti-poor suggestion of pre-paid water.

Projects such as the Kunzvi, Gwayi-Shangani and Osborne dams have annually been given budget allocations yet there have not been any meaningful development.

A lot of productive time is being wasted in fetching water and we believe that if we are truly to emerge as a middle-income economy, we have to get such basic needs right as no true development will take place without water and adequate sanitation.