Zimpapers Logo

Leonard Ncube in Lupane
LUPANE finally has running water after the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) last week started pumping the precious liquid from Bubi-Lupane Dam.
The town has been facing perennial water woes which had seen residents relying on boreholes over the years.

The 40 million cubic metre Bubi-Lupane Dam was commissioned in 2012 mainly for domestic water use in the Matabeleland North provincial capital but hadn’t been utilised due to lack of a water treatment plant.

Residents started getting water from their taps on Thursday after Government recently released $350 000 towards the project.

Zinwa-Gwayi catchment area manager Engineer Chengeta Gozo said they would soon commission the plant. “What we are doing is a test-run because this is new equipment so we have to see if all is in good condition. We are using two lines and we discovered two leaks which are being attended to and it looks like everything is on course,” said Eng Gozo.

He said the dam has capacity to sustain irrigation.

“Once we are satisfied we will then commission the plant. The main purpose for the dam is for use by the provincial capital but it can handle irrigation as well and we hope it will help steer development because the unavailability of a consistent and reliable water supply had been stalling development,” added Eng Gozo.

A Chronicle news crew visited the treatment plant near the dam site on Thursday where engineers from Zinwa were busy monitoring the system for leakages on the pipeline and valves.

Two treatment tanks each measuring 500 cubic metres were already full and engineers were testing the pumping system which they said had so far proven efficient.

Speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not cleared to speak to the media, engineers said the treatment plant, with three stages of water purification, was well equipped to ensure a reliable supply of water to the “dormant” town.

They said leakages identified so far can’t stop the pumping of water as they were minor.

Residents who had relied on borehole water for years were excited to get the precious liquid from their taps.

The chairperson of the Lupane Residents and Ratepayers Association, Mr Christopher Mazibisa, urged authorities to now focus on installing a bigger reserve supply tank. “We are very happy as residents and want to commend Zinwa and engineers for the good work. They said they will be here for two weeks monitoring how the system goes and we appreciate that. What we need now is a new reserve tank as the available ones are very old and small,” he said.

Lupane Local Board chairperson Mrs Monica Ngwenya said it was now time for the local authority to start working on the sewer system.

“Availability of water is a positive development and people can now start developmental work which couldn’t start because we were relying on borehole water. This will now force us to think about the sewer system which we couldn’t do because of lack of a reliable water supply,” she said.

Water woes have delayed the completion of capital projects and relocation of Government officials, including the Provincial Minister of State (Cain Mathema) who have been operating from Bulawayo as civil servants’ houses had no running water.

Demand for water in Lupane has increased with the relocation of the Lupane State University (LSU) management and will further rise when students and lecturers relocate to the campus soon. — @ncubeleon