Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene November - December 2016 vol.11 No.6 | Page 10

NEWS in brief

Around Africa

Mrs. Mbilima said that following the submission of the Act
to the Cabinet, the Water Supply Council is still awaiting the
response.
She stated that following the announcement by
President Edgar Lungu on the realignment of ministries,
implementation of the Act which is being revisited is likely
to take off once the Water and Sanitation council is placed
under a Ministry.

The children are part of the many refugees at the Pagirinya Refugee settlement
in Adjumani, near Uganda’s border with South Sudan

“The UN agencies have drilled some boreholes in the
settlements and in addition to that, we pump water from
River Nile through Obongi which is 68 kilometers from the
camp, which makes it very expensive to transport,” he said.
He said the community is in dire need of water since the
available water in the reservoirs is not enough for refugees
and nationals.

President Lungu recently announced that he will create a
new Ministry in charge of water and sanitation affairs to
address issues of water and sanitation in the country.
The President noted that Zambia has abundant water
resources and that water shortages should be addressed
adequately hence the need to create a new Ministry that will
address the challenges.

Zimbabwe
Dry Taps for 20 Suburbs over Debts

Mr Nasir Fernandes, the UNHCR senior emergency officer
said they are studying the water situation in the settlement.

Zambia
The Water Supply and Sanitation Act to be revised

The water pump was installed by an NGO but is maintained by residents

The National Water and Sanitation Council (NWASCO)
has initiated the process of revising the Water Supply
and Sanitation Act No.28 of 1997 in order to strengthen
the implementation of the water supply and sanitation
programmes in the country.
NWASCO Commercial and Financial Inspector Chola
Mbilima disclosed to media in an interview that the council
has already drafted the Act and sent it to Cabinet for
approval.
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Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • November - December 2016

Municipal Reporter MASSIVE water disconnections loom
as Harare City Council has said it will disconnect defaulters
in 20 suburbs who owe $331 million. Council, which recently
got the nod to disconnect water supplies without a court
order provided it follows provisions of Harare (Water) Bylaws S1 64-1913, has since engaged a debt collector.
The by-law requires council to give 24 hours’ notice to
affected parties before cutting supplies. The High Court,
however, said where the bill was genuinely disputed, there
should be recourse at the courts before council disconnected
the water supply.
“The City of Harare hereby informs residents of below
listed suburbs of pending water disconnections beginning
Monday, 7 November 2016. Residents of these suburbs owe
the city over $331 million in unpaid bills.”
“If for any reason homeowners fail to give access to our
officers -- the water will be disconnected from outside with
the attendant costs being met by the property owner. The