BULAWAYO residents have only the next rainy season as
their hope for an end to the current water crisis as the completion of the
Mtshabezi pipeline and the augmentation of supplies from the Nyamandlovu aquifer
will only shelve the increasing of water shedding from the current 72 hours a
week. Speaking during a tour of the Umzingwane Dam and Mtshabezi pipeline on
Friday 21 September 2012, Bulawayo City Council (BCC) officials said the
completion of the Mtshabezi pipeline, which will provide Bulawayo with an
additional 17 000 cubic metres of water per day, would not lead to a reduction in
water shedding, but would only ameliorate the current crisis by deferring
increasing of water shedding to 96 hours per week or more. This means that the
current water crisis in Bulawayo will only end if the city’s supply dams,
Umzingwane, Lower Ncema, Upper Ncema, Inyankuni and Insiza receive significant
inflows during the oncoming rainy season. If rainfalls are low, then the water
crisis will persist and worsen, necessitating increased water shedding ultimately
spelling disaster for the city. This would worsen the plight of residents, who
are already reeling from the current 3 days per week water shedding amid
complaints that some residential areas are facing water cuts for longer periods
than indicated in the water shedding timetable.
Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) thus
believes that there is a need for concerted efforts by Bulawayo residents to
use water sparingly to stretch the available supplies until dams receive
significant inflows. To facilitate this, there is need for BCC to step up its water
conservation campaign so that residents realize that they have a role to play
in ensuring that water supplies last. The association believes a vibrant water
conservation awareness campaign is a better option than increasing water
shedding as the current water shedding is already drastic and has infringed on
the rights of residents to access clean water, posing a health hazard. Also,
there is a need for the speedy completion of the Mtshabezi pipeline and resuscitation
of boreholes at the Nyamandlovu aquifer to improve the situation. It is BPRA’s contention that once the current
crisis is over, efforts should turn towards the duplication of the Insiza
pipeline and the National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project (NMZWP) to ensure
that there is never a repeat of such a crisis. Dillydallying by the government
and the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) on the implementation of
strategies to end Bulawayo’s water crisis should end immediately.
Regards
Information Department
Bulawayo
Progressive Residents Association
Bus. Tel: +263 9 61196
Cell: +263 772 516 729
