Harare — Chitungwiza has done well to overcome the outbreak of cholera that hit the town recently and needs to be congratulated for its efforts to raise community awareness of both symptoms and ways to prevent the spread of the disease.

But as the director of health services, Dr Mike Simoyi, noted a permanent solution is required to remove all risk without residents having to take special precautions.

Sewers need to be fixed and all residents need access to clean, safe water.

Everyone knows that Zinwa has pressing problems, largely financial, that make it difficult to repair decaying infrastructure and to treat and pump enough water.

Water and sewage charges are finally rising to more realistic levels, which should help, but we would urge greater co-operation between Zinwa and the local authorities of the Harare metropolitan area.

Water shortages are not shared equitably. The high ground of southern Chitungwiza, eastern Harare and Ruwa bear the brunt of the water cuts while the lower lying areas seem to have uninterrupted supplies.

Wealthier households in the affected water-shortage areas can cope. They might have boreholes or at least can collect water in drums from places where there is water and take them home. Households without cars have a harder time and often have to carry water home in buckets from rivers or contaminated wells.

Many argue that the simplest way of minimising the health problems in the short term would be for the available water to be distributed more equitably, so that everyone can have taps running for at least part of the day, every day. This is possible.

During the last serious water shortage in Bulawayo, as most dams dried up, that city managed to ensure that all households had water for most of the night hours, although most had to be cut off during the day. This allowed Bulawayo residents to fill containers every day and keep households healthy.

We believe the same can be done in the Harare area, even though there are five local authorities involved.

A small crisis committee comprising representatives of the five councils and Zinwa, plus anyone else everyone felt might be useful, could be set up to see what could be done to ensure that enough water was distributed to all. It would not be enough to meet all demand, but at least everyone would have something, every day at stated times.

With health risks minimised or eliminated, the same committee could then look at longer-term solutions.

Far too much attention is being paid to who should control the water. Zinwa has a bad name, but it must be remembered that the water processing and distribution was taken away from Harare City Council precisely because it could not cope.

Zinwa in fact made an improvement at the beginning but appears now to be overwhelmed in its turn.

And there are doubts that the city council has the capacity to take over. It seems to have problems with even trivial things like putting new light bulbs into traffic lights.

Power struggles over the control of water are not helpful. What would help is to start where we are, with Zinwa providing the water, but see how Zinwa could be helped to do a better job and see how the local authorities and industry could help reduce demand, increase supplies and share what is available more equitably.

Decisions as to the best way of administering the water supply and sewers of Harare province can wait until the present problems are overcome.

Since some serious money from central Government will probably be required, Zinwa will obviously have to be involved for some time to come; since the people affected have elected councilors and since solutions will require rate rises and general agreement, the local authorities will need to have an input for some time.

Chitungwiza shows that co-operative efforts were needed to overcome the cholera outbreak. A similar, but grander, co-operative effort is now needed to remove the health threat entirely.

It is not "someone else's" problem. It is everyone's problem and needs everyone to pitch in and help solve it and to cease playing blame games.