COMMENT: Council now shortchanging residents on water

BULAWAYO residents celebrated when the City Council announced last month that it had completed the project to upgrade its pumping capacity to meet the city’s daily water consumption. The council said it had completed the final phase of the rehabilitation of the Criterion Water Works which had increased its pumping capacity to 180ML a day against the city’s daily consumption of 150 ML.

Residents who have been subjected to stringent water rationing for years had every reason to celebrate this milestone achievement. What is surprising is that since the announcement, the water delivery service seems to be deteriorating every week with some residents going for weeks without the precious liquid.

Council had said since it now had the capacity to pump more than the city’s daily consumption, there was no justification to continue rationing water. Council therefore, owes residents an explanation regarding its failure to provide them with water daily as promised.

Residents have now resorted to borehole water and the few residents who have boreholes in low and medium-density suburbs are now selling the water. There is therefore, an urgent need for council to address this shortcoming which is inconveniencing residents.

What is painful is that the city fathers have announced the completion of the project to upgrade the city’s pumping capacity and the supply dams have adequate water following good rains this cropping season yet residents are going for weeks without water.

Some residents are spending money to buy water from those with boreholes yet they are paying their bills every month to council whose mandate is to provide them with water. The council has an obligation to guarantee adequate water supplies not just to residents but the business sector as well.

Bulawayo and Harare are the worst in terms of water service delivery according to the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) survey report. The report stated that 75 percent of Bulawayo residents interviewed last year said they were not happy with the council’s water provision.

Council should therefore urgently up its game and meet the city’s daily water consumption. We expect companies that had relocated to other cities and towns due to the city’s water shortages, to return and this is only possible if council demonstrates that it has capacity to meet their water demands. Bulawayo could be Zimbabwe’s best investment destination given its strategic position in the southern African region hence the need for council to address the issue of water supply.

The shortage of water has been the city’s major stumbling block in its efforts to attract investors and regain its status as the country’s industrial hub.

This should not be the case now because the city’s supply dams have adequate water and the city’s pumping capacity has been upgraded to meet its daily consumption. We want to once again urge the city fathers to prioritise water provision.

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