WATER supplies in Beitbridge town have improved after engineers from the Zimbabwe National Water Authority repaired the water treatment pump which had been submerged in water due to flooding.

The sole water station had been flooded due to torrential rains, which had been pounding the district the whole of last week.

The town had been without water for five days last week until normal service was restored at the weekend.

The water treatment station, which is located a few metres from the Limpopo River, and back-up generators were submerged on Monday last week.

Residents had to rely on 33 boreholes that are dotted across the border town at the height of the water shortages.

An official from Zinwa, who preferred anonymity, said it took them four days for them to address the situation at the treatment plant.

"We had to drain the water from the treatment pump and reassemble the machines again before restoring services," said the official.

The town needs at least 15 000 cubic metres of water per day though the local authority has been able to supply a third of the daily requirement.

The town has 4 000 houses and is home to over 40 000 people.

The floods have also affected construction work on the new treatment pump that is sponsored by Government.

Dr Singo said the floods had also left a trail of destruction on the water and sewer reticulation systems.

He said four points had been damaged on the main sewer line though they had managed to repair three points.

The town secretary said the bus terminus and several link roads were extensively damaged though their engineering department had started working on-site.

He said the flow of water had reached to over 10 metres early this week. Dr Singo said they were doing everything necessary to avoid the outbreak of water-borne diseases such as cholera.