Bulawayo City Council yesterday said army barracks, police camps, churches and schools were the worst culprits in wasting water amid reports the city is left with supplies enough to last six months.
Town clerk Middleton Nyoni told stakeholders, who included representatives of the Zimbabwe National Water Authority, Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe Prison Services, Zimbabwe National Army and representatives of residents’ associations, that churches, schools, army barracks and police camps were flouting the city’s daily water limits.
Nyoni also expressed concern over the sprouting of car wash spots, which he said used purified water to conduct their services at a time the city was facing a water crisis.
During the meeting, stakeholders agreed to include senior army and police officers in the various sub-committees of the water crisis committee, so that they could monitor usage of water in their camps.
“If we stretch the use of the little water that we have a little, may be it can take us to the next rainy season,” Nyoni said.
Speaking during the same meeting, the city’s director of engineering services, Simela Dube, said residents should be advised of the critical nature of the water situation.
“We must advise the residents of the current situation we have now as committees on the water crisis,” he said.
“The residents use the bulk of the water we supply (70%), while industry and commerce use 30%.
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“We also advise industry and commerce who in this water shedding would not be affected to exercise more care on how they use water.”
Dube said Umzingwane Dam would be decommissioned over the weekend as its water level had reached unsustainable levels.
Meanwhile, the council is set to officially launch its water-shedding schedule today as part of efforts to conserve water.
The schedule would see most suburbs going for two days every week without water, but businesses and residents in the central business district would be spared.
