BULAWAYO residents have welcomed the city council’s move to lift water rationing with immediate effect following significant inflows into the six supply dams.
LINDA CHINOBVA
According to statistics released by council, the city’s six supply dams are 56,94% full with Insiza at 70,1%, Inyankuni (13%), Mtshabezi (99%), Upper Ncema (42,4%), Lower Ncema (57,4%) and Umzingwane (50,9%).
Inflows recorded translate to about 10% of the dams’ combined carrying capacity of about 414 million cubic metres in six days starting from last week Tuesday due to heavy rains that have been falling in the southern parts of the country.
Some residents said the initiative by council was commendable as they had been facing various challenges due to water shortages in the city.
“We welcome this initiative by council with open hands because we have been failing to cope with water rationing,” said a Micah Ncube of Vundu Flats in Makokoba.
“In the past we would go for a week without water and since water is life, we were as good as dead with the shortages,” Ncube said.
Derrick Mthethwa from Mpopoma said it was commendable that council has put the residents at heart by lifting water rationing following the heavy rains that the city has been receiving.
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“It is excellent that council has shown that it has its people at heart. Water rationing has been a problem and we hope that we won’t hear of it in a very long time,” said Mthethwa.
“We have been receiving a lot of rains and this has brought life to our city. However water must be used wisely by the residents and the council must urgently respond to burst pipes to avoid water wastage,” said Mthethwa.
Nigel Jubane from Mzilikazi said the availability of water must see the city parks and other facilities glow once again.
“Now that we have a lot of water, council has to revive the leisure sites like the Centenary Park. We have to see green grass and the fountains flowing because this is the City of kings,” said Jubane.
Edison Sibanda of Cowdrey Park said some parts of Cowdrey Park had no water totally and they have been solely relying on bowsers bringing water weekly to residents.
Sibanda said he hoped the availability of water in the dams would mean tap water for them because the water brought by bowsers was not sustainable.
However, some residents appealed to council to make sure that it provided residents with clean water as the quality was questionable in the past few months.
“We appreciate the councils’ initiative, but we are also appealing to them to provide us with clean water because for the past weeks, the water has been muddy and this could trigger a health hazard,” Mzingaye Ncube of Selbourne Park.
Belinda Sibanda from Northend said the water department must upgrade the water purification system to supply residents with clean water compared to the current muddy water from the taps.
Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) organising secretaryAmbrose Sibindi said they applaud council’s gesture of being sensitive to the residents’ plight.
“We welcome council’s move and we applaud them for being sensitive to the residents’ long overdue plight. However, council must take measures that will rectify the muddy water problem, especially during the rainy season,” Sibindi said.
