Kitwe hit with another water crisis

Kitwe has been hit by a water crisis with most of the township going without the commodity for the past two days.

Kitwe’s Twibukishe, Mindolo, Wusakile, Nkana West, Nkana East, Ndeke, and Chamboli are effected, as residents in particular women are forced to wake up in the early hours of the morning to go and fetch the commodity from nearby streams.

Tensions have continued to rise as residents demand urgent attention from Nkana Water and Sewerage Company, whose Public Relations Manager Bivan Saluseki has said that the erratic water supply has come as a result of low voltage at one of its distribution centres. 

Zesco, the state-owned electricity company, have been informed to rectify the problem that has resulted from low voltage and efforts are being made to normalise the situation. 

Engineers are reported to be on the ground at the 17th Street Distribution centre. Zesco has not yet commented on the issue. 

Zesco’s power failures have forced shutdowns to the water supply in Lusaka in 2016 and again in March 2018. 

This is not the first time Kitwe residents have been ravaged in a water crisis, back in November 2013 they experienced over two weeks of erratic water supply when works to rehabilitate and maintain the water system led to problems. 

Yet again under-funding and poor management of state-owned utilities is affecting the lives of everyday Zambians. Water is the most basic and vital commodity, without it Zambians’ lives are at risk.