THE water situation in Bulawayo has worsened despite the recent isolated rains amid reports a third dam is likely to be decommissioned in 10 days. REPORT BY SILAS NKALA STAFF REPORTER
This was revealed by the Bulawayo City Council’s director of engineering services, Simela Dube, during the water crisis management meeting held at the council chambers yesterday.
“The water situation continues to deteriorate in the city,” Dube said.
“The water inflows into the dams are still insignificant amounting to just around 150 000 cubic meters of water into the Umzingwane Dam so far this rainy season. This is not even adequate to be pumped to the city.”
Of the five supply dams only Insiza, Lower Ncema and Inyankuni are currently servicing the city. Umzingwane and Upper Ncema were decommissioned this year.
Dube said the city was likely to suffer another blow as the Lower Ncema Dam was set to be decommissioned within 10 days if there are no significant rains within that period. He said if the city does not get significant rains up to March next year, the Inyankuni Dam would be decommissioned as well.
Dube said as of Monday the remaining three supply dams were 38,02% full.
He said the local authority would maintain the 96 hours of water-shedding until the situation improved. If it deteriorates, it would mean more hours of water-shedding.
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However, Dube said following the light rains that fell in the city, the consumption rate which was at 110 megalitres per day leading to the introduction of the water-shedding regime had gone down to 98 megalitres per day. He said this was because residents had heeded the local authority’s campaign on the need to conserve water and others were harvesting rain water.
Dube said the target was for the city to use 94 megalitres per day.
He said the Mtshabezi–Umzingwane pipeline, which the local authority had hoped would supply the city with an extra 17 mega litres per day, was yet to be commissioned.
There have been reports the project has been stalled by difficulties in setting up generators to pump the water and councillors are now contemplating carrying out a cleansing ceremony at Mtshabezi Dam.
