Open Defecation – An Environmental Health Concern in Lupane

Water shortages coupled with a poor reticulation system that has outlived its lifespan fuel open defecation in Lupane. Image by NewZimbabwe.com

Open defecation in Lupane, the provincial capital of Matabeleland North, poses a health and environmental hazard. Environmentalists, concerned citizens and research have long raised alarm.
 
BY CALVIN MANIKA | @The_CBNews | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | APR 13, 2023

LUPANE (The Citizen Bulletin) — Behind a Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) camp in Lupane, Matabeleland North, is a bush where people, mainly police officers, flock to relieve themselves.
 
“As a result of aging and overcrowding, several of the camp's toilets are no longer functional,” says a police officer who asked to remain anonymous.
 
The bush toilet is not limited to the nearby police camp.
 
At the local rank situated at Lupane Centre, hawkers, passengers among many others visiting the area prefer to use bush toilets.
 
A vendor, Trymore Ncube explains why: “The lack of appropriate toilets at the market is our problem. We sometimes resort to using bushes because they are not always cleaned. We know it's wrong, but we need to relieve ourselves during the day.”
 
The Citizen Bulletin uncovered that surrounding bushes on the dusty road leading to the Bubi-Umguza dam have been converted into bush toilets.

In December last year, reports emerged that students at Lupane State University (LSU) were forced to practice open defecation in surrounding bushes near campus and in bushes along the Victoria Falls-Bulawayo Road due to water shortages.

“We used the bushes as a place for open defecation. It's a circumstance that we both discouraged and didn't want. The situation, nonetheless, compelled us to choose that route. We were afraid of an outbreak of water-borne illnesses,” says ex-student Tafadzwa Mudzi.
 
Health experts express concern over the trend, and say this practice pollutes the environment.
 
The majority of people in Matabeleland North relieve themselves in public, according to a 2021 Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) assessment.
 
In rural areas across the country, 27% of households used open defecation.
 
The biggest percentage of families using open defecation was in Matabeleland North (50%) according to the research.
 
The majority of Matabeleland North's districts engaged in open defecation, according to the survey.
 
In Tsholotsho (52%), Lupane (61%), and Binga (67%), the practice was said to be widespread.

Bubi-Lupane irrigation project commissioned in 2021. Image by Zimbabwe National Water Authority.

Around 50% of families in the majority of Matabeleland North's districts practiced open defecation.
 
According to the report, open defecation has continually been prevalent in Matabeleland North.
 
In Lupane, water shortages coupled with a poor reticulation system that has outlived its lifespan are said to be fueling the practice
 
“The current reticulation cannot support the numerous residential stands currently under construction in Lupane, much alone any foreseeable future developments,” a Lupane resident, Petros Ngwenya says.
 
In 2021, President Emmerson Mnangagwa commissioned a water supply station at the Bubi-Lupane Dam to address challenges in accessing clean and safe water.

ALSO READ: Climate Proof Agriculture in Hwange — An Acid Test to Climate Change

The Lupane Water Supply Station has an installed capacity of 115 million litres and is meant to improve the supply for Lupane area from seven million litres per month in turn satisfying the current demand of 23 million litres per month.

The Bubi-Lupane dam, which was commissioned in 2012, supplies water to Lupane Centre and surrounding villages.

Munashe Mhungu, an engineering graduate from a local university, says authorities need to also upgrade Lupane’s sewer reticulation system.

There is an unconventional sewage treatment facility at Lupane Growth Point.
 
“The center will need to upgrade its sewage treatment facility from a septic tank system to a more modern and conventional sewage treatment plants, as well as connect all of the residents to the main sewer system, “Mhungu says.

Do you have a hyperlocal story to share?

WhatsApp us on: +263 71 863 6459.  Email us on: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Since You’re Here, We’ve a Small Request…

Our hard-hitting hyperlocal reporting and analysis reaches one in every three people across the greater region of Matabeleland, southwestern Zimbabwe. That means our content reaches approximately 60,000 readers each week. However, in order for our well-rounded journalism to reach more people who need it to make informed decisions about their lives and their communities, we need to build a strong audience of followers that would receive our rigorous reporting in just one place. Because of exorbitant internet data costs, we know most of our readers use messaging apps such as WhatsApp to get all our content in one place. But the platform, predominantly used by our readers, is not primarily designed for content distribution and reader engagement. That is why we’re building a WhatsApp Bot to navigate this challenge. But in order for this strategy to work effectively to serve our needs, we want all our casual readers like you to be part of our growing WhatsApp Community. To be part of this community of registered users, WhatsApp the word "JOIN" to +263 71 863 6459. We look forward to engaging and building a lasting relationship with you. Thank you.