Zimpapers Logo

Auxilia Katongomara, Chronicle Reporter
THE Bulawayo City Council is considering exempting low-lying suburbs in the city from water shedding to ease pressure build up in pipes which results in bursts.

Council says it has not been exempting the suburbs in fear of a backlash from other residents.

Residents in Northend, Paddonhurst, Makokoba and Mzilikazi might be excluded from the shedding schedule if the local authority adopts a recommendation to exempt them.

This emerged during the Water Crisis Committee meeting in the council chambers yesterday.

There is a 72-hour weekly water shedding schedule for all surbubs in the city as council battles to conserve dwindling water supplies.

Speaking at the meeting, the director of engineering services, Engineer Simela Dube said: “Shedding Northend and Paddonhurst incurs more costs.

If it were not for politics we wouldn’t shed them. Sometimes you will realise that when we shed these areas we open water after one day to ease the pressure from the pipes”.

He said the pressure build up in the pipes results in continuous bursts in the suburbs.

“Mainly it’s Northend and Paddonhurst which are greatly affected but it also affects Makokoba and Mzilikazi,” said Eng Dube.

He said the proposal would be tabled before council and the necessary procedures done before it is implemented.

The issue of pipe bursts arose after a stakeholder at the meeting asked why council does not exempt Northend and Paddonhurst suburbs as it loses a lot of water after shedding them.

The Mayor, Councillor Martin Moyo, said the city’s engineering department should work on how they could legalise the proposal to avoid shedding the areas to avoid water loss.

Presenting water statistics, acting principal operations engineer, Mrs Mercy Ncube, said reports of water bursts had declined and the water had maintained its quality.

“We have maintained our quality. It’s still good. We also try to repair leaks and bursts every day to avoid losing more water. Before water shedding was introduced we would receive about four reports of pipe bursts and they have reduced to two per day or none at all,” said Mrs Ncube.

She said the city six supply dams hold 28,45 percent of their combined capacity, a decrease from last month’s 30,50 percent.

Mrs Ncube said the dams had received a negligible 1,4 million cubic metres of water from the rains.

Acting deputy director of engineering, Engineer Mente Ndlovu dismissed speculation on social media that water bowsers were rusty and the water was not suitable for consumption.

“Bowsers are made of stainless steel and it does not rust. What people saw was a bowser mounted on a rusty truck.

Bowsers are chemically flushed and if there was beer before there would be no smell or sign of it,” said Eng Ndlovu.

Council is working on a number of projects to augment water from the dams among them the Epping Forest project, Nyamandlovu Acquifer and considering the expansion of underground water extraction.

The Mayor encouraged Bulawayo residents and the Christian community to pray for rains.

Meanwhile, the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe and other churches in conjuction with the city council will be conducting prayers for rains at the Large City Hall on Thursday next week.

Pastor Elliot Mandaza said the one and half hour prayer meetings are open to everyone.

“On Thursday December 8 we are going to have our prayers for rains from 12:30PM to 2PM,” he said.

Pastor Mandaza said the prayer points would be on the rains, development of the city and prosperity of the country.