Gokomere High in strict water rationing as power blackouts bite

four litres of water per pupil per day

By Diana Gondongwe

Gokomere High School is having problems pumping adequate water to staff members and pupils due to the electricity blackouts being experienced across the country, TellZim News can report.

TellZim News learnt that five students are now being given a 20 litres bucket of water for drinking, washing and bathing, meaning that a pupil should manage with only four litres of water per day.

Parents who went to Gokomere on June 02 for the launch of the Diocese of Masvingo Extraordinary Mission Month were distressed by the reports they got from their children.

One parent said besides lack of enough food, children at the school were now faced with a new problem of acute shortages of water.

“There are real problems at the school but none of them has to do with administrative inefficiencies. It’s all about the wide economic problems in the country. The school leadership is doing their level best.

“My daughter told me that they are being served tea without bread in the morning and were told that there were no more buns that they used to receive,” said the parent who preferred not to be named.

Gokomere High School head, Aquanos Mazhunga confirmed that they were facing a dire situation as their water pumps are not pumping enough water for the institution due to power cuts.

“The school is in a difficult situation because we do not have enough water to cater for all our staff and pupils. Our generators cannot pump enough water for the whole institution.

“Besides that, fuel shortages are also affecting us as an institution because even if were to try pumping the water using the generator, to get enough diesel is a headache because it is not readily available and it is expensive. We are calling upon authorities to review their load shedding schedule so that we can have more hours with power even if it is during the night,” said Mazhunga.

TellZim News