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NewsDay

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Major city dams full — council

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Bulawayo’s five major water supply dams are over 71% full, and the city has adequate water supplies, at least for now, the city council has revealed. According to the latest council report, all the city’s five dams were 71, 08% full and they were all operational. “The city’s dams currently stand at 71, 08% full, […]

Bulawayo’s five major water supply dams are over 71% full, and the city has adequate water supplies, at least for now, the city council has revealed.

According to the latest council report, all the city’s five dams were 71, 08% full and they were all operational.

“The city’s dams currently stand at 71, 08% full, as compared to the same time last year, when the levels were at 47, 3%,” the report says.

The report recorded that Insiza Dam was 100% full, Lower Ncema stood at 41, 72 %, Umzingwane was at 39, 67%, Upper Ncema stood at 69, 70% and Inyankuni Dam at the lowest level of 33, 75%.

“The current city’s daily water consumption rate is 114 975 cubic metres a day, which is still slightly above the ration target of 110 000 cubic metres a day,” reads the report.

Bulawayo has been dogged by water problems since 1943 when it attained city status, forcing the local authority to introduce water rationing every year.

Early this year, city mayor Thaba Moyo said Bulawayo needed at least three more supply dams to ensure adequate water supplies.

He said the city’s five dams were failing to meet the demand of the growing urban population, even if all the dams were full.

Bulawayo’s population currently stands at about 1, 5 million and the last dam to be built, Insiza, was commissioned in 1976.

Moyo said the city needed a new supply dam every 10 years to meet increasing demand.