A RECENT tour of Bulawayo’s dams has left civil society leaders questioning the central government’s intentions on water governance, NewsDay reports.
This development comes as illegal gold mining in catchment areas threatens supply despite promising dam levels, residents and officials said.
In an interview, Women’s Institute for Leadership Development programmes officer Jaqueline Ndlovu said the visit exposed deeper governance concerns.
“This tour to the dams has actually been an eye opener,” she said.
“I am so happy that I participated in this tour of the sites, including the dams and also the rampage caused by illegal gold miners.”
Ndlovu, however, raised doubts over the centralisation of water management.
“I have so many reservations with regards to water governance and how the central government has taken over,” she said.
“If I can take you back a year or so an actual crisis, the central government went on to say that it was not a national disaster and it was not an emergency that the city was facing water woes.
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“Now that we have had rains and it’s actually looking good now the central government has taken over. I am conflicted with what is the actual intention of the government concerning the water situation.”
Ndlovu said women in suburbs like Mpopoma are losing trust in the system.
“The women that I represent have doubts over the sincerity of the local authority in actually delivering clean and safe water to their homes.
“For the past months in Mpopoma we haven’t had clean water and for those who keep water in buckets, you can actually see that it’s not clean.”
She also called for stronger environmental enforcement.
“My call would be to say I wish the EMA had been part of this tour because they are the custodians and enforcers of environmental conservation within this area,” Ndlovu said.
“Where are they, and what are they actually doing, given everything happening in this area?”
Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association director Permanent Ngoma said the tour aimed to educate residents on the city’s water system, but illegal mining remains a threat.
“The purpose of this tour with the residents was just to educate our communities on how the water system works, where we get our water as Bulawayo and how it feeds back into our homes,” she said.
“With the amount of rain we received, we expect not to face water challenges but as I mentioned before, serious illegal mining is happening in the catchment areas, which affects water levels and flow.”
Ngoma called for collaboration to tackle the problem.
“There is need for as the residents of Bulawayo to partner with our local authority and engage the government.
“What can be done in terms of dealing with this illegal mining activities happening in this community.”
