BY SILAS NKALA
THREE Bulawayo council engineers will in October attend a Vitens Evides International (VEI) water works exchange programme in the Netherlands.
The invitation comes at a time the city is facing serious water supply challenges exacerbated by the decommissioning of some its supply dams due to low water levels.
Water reticulation infrastructure in the city has also outlived its lifespan, which has seen the local authority rehabilitating Criterion Water Works to alleviate water shortages.
Director of engineering services Simela Dube told a recent council meeting that he had received an invitation for the water programme to be held in the Netherlands between October and November.
A letter e-mailed to Dube by VEI regional team leader, Toine Ramaker states that the exchange programme is aimed at training officers on water works improvements.
“In 2017 City of Bulawayo and Vitens Evides International (VEI, the Netherlands) started a long-term collaboration under the umbrella of the WaterWorX programme. In this programme the City of Bulawayo and VEI are working on improvements in the water supply through technical assistance, training and some small-scale investments,” Ramaker wrote.
“As part of the programme the following three employees of City of Bulawayo are invited to visit the Netherlands to exchange knowledge (planning end of October/beginning of November 2019).”
