Farai Dziva|The MDC A has urged Central Government to avail foreign currency to local authorities as a matter of urgency.

See below the MDC A statement on the matter:

The MDC is extremely worried by the shortage of water treatment chemicals in local authorities.

The shortage is chiefly due to the unavailability of foreign currency.
All water treatment chemicals are imported and councils need foreign currency to be able to procure the chemicals. What is worse is that these are bought on a cash basis.

The Reserve Bank, the only source of foreign currency for the local authorities is unable to provide the required forex in adequate amounts. Most councils have chemical stocks that are dangerously below their reorder level
Councils are therefore unfortunately only able to pump way below the demand levels. Harare is pumping only 25% of demand.

The situation is similar in all other local authorities. Access to safe, clean and potable water is a right that government should fulfill. The MDC fears that the country will
be plunged into cholera problems if the Reserve Bank fails to avail forex as a matter of urgency.

Additionally the provision of forex in drips and drops leads to higher costs of landing the chemicals as economies of scale are lost. In the short term, all local authority requirements for chemicals should be aggregated and same bought through Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe.

In the medium term, the reserve bank should treat this as a priority area and ensure that councils get the required forex without failure
Thirdly, it is important for government to deliberated put money aside for the beneficiation of Kaolin Clay or bauxite into Aluminum Sulphate which happens to be the biggest component of water treatment.

These materials are awash in Zimbabwe and Zimphos used to manufacture such.
Sesel Zvidzai
MDC Secretary for Local Government