Zimpapers Logo

BULAWAYO faces a looming critical shortage of water and the city council is mulling a strict water shedding regime that will unfortunately make life difficult for residents.

The Mayor, Councillor Martin Moyo, has said with three weeks before the local authority implements a 24-hour water shedding schedule, a 48-hour regime may be implemented if residents do not conserve water. He said water levels at the city’s six supply dams – Insiza, Mtshabezi, Umzingwane, Inyankuni, Upper and Lower Ncema – stand at less than 30 percent of their cumulative capacity.

“This is a serious predicament we are facing. The only way the city can be spared from shedding is if we receive substantial rains in the interim.

“As long as no water flows into the dams we will have to go through with water shedding. We might be looking at 48 hours per week but depending on the severity we might push to 72 hours. We are hoping that it doesn’t get that bad,” said Cllr Moyo.

“Restrictions of water use are at nine kilolitres per month which is too high. I urge the residents of Bulawayo to use water sparingly. We understand that they may need a few garden beds in their backyard but we’re asking them to use water reasonably.” While the Mayor’s warning may sound alarmist, the stark reality is that Bulawayo’s supply dams are fast running out of water and a tighter shedding regime may be necessary to conserve the little water available.

Residents should also remember the hardships they went through in 2013 when they went for about four days in a week without water. We implore them to use water sparingly and desist from practices that waste the precious liquid. Despite having most of its supply dams in a dry region, Bulawayo has managed to stretch its limited reserves throughout the year.

This has been possible due to the good rapport the BCC has with residents who have been responsive to its calls for brevity when it comes to water use. We commend that spirit and urge both parties to work together to tackle the looming crisis. Yesterday, we published the city’s impending 24-hour shedding schedule in the hope that residents will use it to plan ahead and make the necessary adjustments to their daily routines.

For instance, there might be a need for people to buy big storage containers or tanks to collect rain water in their backyards. It is safe for drinking and can be used to water gardens. Those with boreholes must ensure that they are functioning properly. In times of severe water shortages, hosepipes are banned and we assume people are aware of this.

On its part, the BCC should embark on an aggressive information dissemination campaign to conscientise residents on the need to conserve water.

Periodic updates on the water situation are crucial at this juncture and the city’s public relations department has its work cut out in this respect.

Councillors have pointed out that the Director of Engineering Services, Mr Simela Dube, needs to be cautious when reporting the water situation and avoid giving false hope and we agree with them.

The BCC also needs to rehabilitate all its boreholes and ensure that they are functional to forestall any crisis. The Nyamandlovu Aquifer has long been touted as one of the solutions to Bulawayo’s perennial water problems and we urge authorities to revisit the project. Weather forecasters have predicted a normal to above normal rainfall season and we pray that the rains start this month as projected so that the city’s supply dams record some inflows.