Bulawayo City Dams Critically Low
Bulawayo is left with just six month’s supply of water as the dams are at crucial low levels which has forced the authorities to continue with a 72-hour water shedding schedule to cope with the limited water supply.
While speaking during the tour of Bulawayo city supply dams on Friday, BCC Corporate Communications Manager, Nesisa Mpofu acknowledged that the low water levels in the dams necessitate the continuation of the 72-hour water shedding schedule.
“As we speak our dams are 45,19 percent full which means we are way below half and it is a critical time largely because we are in the hot season where consumption is bound to increase, so we are also calling on stakeholders to continuously conserve water. From what we have seen, unfortunately we have to maintain the water shedding because our dam levels are low,” she pleaded.
ZESA Issues
Mpofu also highlighted that electricity outages further exacerbate the water shedding situation, leading to prolonged periods without water in some areas.
Mpofu further explained that pipe bursts pose additional challenges, as fixing them requires shutting down the entire system for the affected area until the problem is resolved. The city is working to minimise inconveniences and interruptions in both the water supply and sewer systems, despite resource constraints.
“We also have challenges of pipe bursts, if we have a burst pipe within an area we have to shut down the whole system for the whole area until we resolve the problem,” said Mpofu.
Bulawayo Water
BCC’s acting principal engineer in water supplies department, Engineer Dhumani Gwetu also indicated the delicate nature of the water situation in Bulawayo.
He stated, “When water is not available, we have to do a lot of balancing. In most of our dams, we use gravity to allow the water to flow, but in a few dams, like Umzingwane, we rely on pumping. So, when that dam is no longer available or decommissioned, it affects the amount of water reaching the city.”
To address the immediate challenges, Eng Gwetu stated the need for an NVA transformer to increase pumping capacity at Umzingwane, a pump at Inyankuni, and duplication of pipes to increase overall capacity.
He also mentioned the importance of Telenet and Viasat communication systems, which would enable remote operation of the water stations, minimising the need for physical presence.
Future Water Supply
Chairperson of the Future Water Supplies and Water Action committee, Councillor Edwin Ndlovu expressed concern about the impending decommissioning of most dams in the next two months.
The council proposed the construction of Glass Block Dam in Insiza, which could potentially provide about 70 percent of the city’s water requirements. Clr Ndlovu suggested involving private players such as banks to finance the dam’s construction, as the government is already committed to the Lake Gwayi-Shangani project.
As of Friday, the water levels in the dams were reported as follows: Insiza at 60.07 percent, Inyankuni at 32.93 percent, Lower Ncema at 31.72 percent, Umzingwane at 4.13 percent, Upper Ncema at 22.35 percent, and Mtshabezi at 74.51 percent.
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