Residents in Katima Mulilo have been warned against illegal sewer and water connections, as well as unapproved building construction.

Katima Mulilo Town Council Mayor John Ntemwa issued the warning after a pipe was damaged during the construction of an unapproved building at a plot in Greenwell Matongo suburb. The incident left the entire town without running water for several hours.

“These people were stopped by town council not to continue until town council approved their plan, they just continued without the approval of town council, and at the end they broke the pipe.”

The pipe burst led to the closure of the main reservoir so maintenance workers could fix the broken pipe and reconnect the water.

The local authority is still investigating the matter to ascertain what fine is to be issued for the pipe burst and illegal construction.

“It's a penalty, with town council, it's a penalty when you break the pipe, allot of water has been lost, as you can see all over the water was flowing.”

The local authority also carried out a clean-up campaign of the manholes and areas around the town that residents use as dumping sites.

The mayor asked residents to refrain from dumping items as they could cause damage and also contribute to sewer blockages and possible health issues that may arise in such instances.