23 March 2012
More Should be Done to Solve Water Woes in Matabeleland
As the world commemorates World Water Day today, Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) would like to draw the attention of the people of Matabeleland and the country at large to the issue of the perennial water shortages in the Matabeleland region. BPRA believes that the water woes that the region faces are a threat to the very existence of the people that live in it and should be addressed as a matter of urgency. For instance, de-industrialization in Bulawayo is partly attributable to the shortage of water in the city, which causes potential investors to shy away from the city, not to mention the fact that shortage of water in the region is a threat to food security, especially in the semi-arid areas of Matabeleland South.
Admittedly, the Ministry of Water Resources Development and Management under the inclusive government has made commendable efforts towards easing the water woes in Matabeleland, especially in light of the inaction of previous governments. In the last year, progress has been made in the completion of the Mtshabezi to Umzingwane pipeline which is seen as a short term solution to the water problems in Bulawayo. Currently, all that remains of the project, which is expected to be completed this year, is the connection of electricity to the pump station as the pipe has already been laid. The ministry of water in 2010 also resuscitated 60 boreholes at the Nyamandlovu aquifer which are providing Bulawayo with 3500 cubic metres of water a day. In addition it has been providing grants to local authorities across Matabeleland in areas including Nkayi and Plumtree that are meant for water projects. The ministry is currently on the verge of obtaining a loan from the Chinese Exin Bank which is meant for the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project (MZWP). Even the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has made efforts with a project being recently mooted to construct a parallel pipeline from the Insiza Dam in order to increase the availability of water to residents of the city. The local authority is reportedly in the process of lobbying for funds from the government and other institutions to raise US$ 21,2 million that is required for the project.
However, BPRA believes that more needs to be done and should have been done to deal with the water woes in Matabeleland and Bulawayo. For instance, it is disturbing to note that the MZWP remains a pipe-dream, one hundred years after the idea was first mooted. It is BPRA’s contention that the failure of the government to complete the project 32 years after independence has been due to marginalization of the Matabeleland region. Over the years, the government has failed to allocate adequate resources for the MZWP. Worse still, it is not clear what the little funds that have been released for the project over the years have been used for as the people of Matabeleland have never been informed of any progress in the project.
BPRA thus calls upon the government, in particular the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Water Resources Development and Management to ensure that enough funds are allocated towards ending Matabeleland’s water problems and projects such as the MZWP completed. The association also calls upon BCC to act to increase availability of water to the residents of Bulawayo. BPRA believes it is a tragedy and indication of poor management by the local authority and the government that Bulawayo residents will soon have to endure water rationing as two of the city’s dams are to be decommissioned. BPRA is convinced that more should have been done long ago by the current and previous authorities to avert such situations.
Regards
Mr Rodrick Fayayo
Coordinator
Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA)
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