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In our previous edition we carried an article on the dire water situation in some parts of Bulawayo due to the ongoing water shedding programme. A�
The programme, an intensified form of water rationing to try and stretch the dwindling supplies, has seen residents having to make some uncomfortable adjustments to their daily routines.
However, what is important is for the residents to understand the seriousness of the water shortages so that they buy into the campaign to reduce the amount of water that they use.A� They should never feel that they are being punished or that they are being denied water because of the inefficiencies of the local authorities.
Zimbabwe did not have good rains last year hence water shortages are not unique to Bulawayo. Almost all the cities in the country are grappling with water shortages and they have had to employ some form of control to ensure that their water lasts longer.
Elsewhere in this issue B-Metro carries a graph on dam levels across the countrya��s cities in a bid to keep our people in the picture about the water levels while at the same time encouraging them to save the little water that they get.
The water shortages, while quite an inconvenience, are teaching us new coping mechanisms that we could employ in the future and that could see us reduce our municipal water consumption.
Quite a number of residents have no choice but to resort to rain water harvesting.A� However, rain water harvesting should become a way of life whether we have water shedding or not.A� This is quite common in other countries and it is something that should be encouraged.A� It may take us some time, but this is the route that we should be taking.
We also need educational campaigns on safe methods of harvesting and storing water to guard against disease outbreaks.
In most suburbs, almost every family has a backyard garden where it grows its vegetables and in most of these homes, treated municipal water is used to water the gardens.A� We rarely stop and think how much treated water we use up in such a manner.A� However, we should be very worried about the amount of water that goes that route since water purification is quite a costly exercise.
Water leaks should also be attended to in time because thousands of litres are lost through pipe bursts and to water poachers who tamper with councila��s water system and leave water leaking for days hence worsening our already precarious water situation.
We believe that all the roofs that we see in towns and cities could play a greater role than just sheltering people but also collect rainwater for future use.A�A� What we need is a deliberate programme to ensure that residents get the tanks for use in such an exercise.
Water conservation is everyonea��s responsibility and the onus is also upon us to dissuade those that still insist on using hosepipes to water their gardens or wash cars.A� Every drop counts.
The past few weeks of water shedding in Bulawayo have shown just how precious water is.
derick.khumalo