Vusumuzi Dube
Vusumuzi Dube, Online News Editor
BULAWAYO residents will go for some days without water supplies after the local authority revealed that it was experiencing power outages which have been affecting water provision.
Last week, the local authority had to cut supplies to the entire city save for the Central Business District and industry owing to power outages.
In the latest development, the city’s town clerk, Mr Christopher Dube revealed that the power outages had negatively affected the city’s capacity to ensure continuous supply of water.
“The city of Bulawayo would like to advise members of the public that the City’s Water facilities are currently experiencing power outages that are affecting water abstraction, pumping, treatment and storage of both treated and raw water over the past six days.
“This has had a negative overall effect on the city’s capacity to ensure continuous and in some instances scheduled water supply to all areas. By way of this notice, residents are being appraised of the situation as this is leading to erratic water supplies,” said Mr Dube.
He revealed that the power outages had seen Umzingwane Dam and Inyankuni Dam Abstraction pump stations go for a total of 33 hours without electricity, Ncema Waterworks and Fernhill Booster Station Treatment and major pump station, 33 hours and Nyamandlovu Rochester Pump Station, Cowdray Park Booster Station and Nyamandlovu Aquifer going for a combined 264 hours without electricity over the past six days.
“In cases when the city reservoirs deplete to critical levels, supply to affected suburbs will be turned off till such a time where power supply to the mentioned plants has been restored to levels that will enable constant and consistent abstraction, treatment and pumping plus the raising of supply reservoirs to stable and satisfactory levels,” said the Town Clerk.
Online Reporter