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Gweru left with 9 months water supply

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Gweru is now left with nine months water supply, with the city’s main water source, Gwenoro Dam at 40% capacity, a senior council official said recently.

Gweru is now left with nine months water supply, with the city’s main water source, Gwenoro Dam at 40% capacity, a senior council official said recently.

BY Stephen Chadenga

City engineer Robson Manatsa said the other two supply dams, Amapongokwe and Whitewaters were 75% and 70% full, respectively although there were challenges with drawing water from the former.

“Our main water supplier, Gwenoro, is 40% full and that is nine months water supply,” Manatsa said.

“We have Amapongokwe, which is 75% full and could have provided an additional 12 months supply, but unfortunately, our pumps that draw water from the dam are not functional. Whitewaters is 70% full, but only supplies a small portion to the city, that is Whawha and Greenvale areas.”

Manatsa urged residents to use water sparingly and also to approach council for plans to settle their outstanding bills.

“Our residents continue to behave as if everything is normal, and we have actually witnessed an increase in the use of hosepipes,” he said.

Manatsa also said there has been a growing resistance to paying water bills.

Recently, the local authority revealed that it was owed $58 million by residents.

Zimbabwe’s major cities continue to face perennial water shortages because of government’s failure to invest in new infrastructure since independence in 1980.