Online Reporter
Peter Matika
BULAWAYO residents face more than a day without water after the City Council announced a widespread supply interruption to facilitate urgent repairs on the Ncema-Inzisa pipeline, a key artery in the city’s water delivery network.
Bulawayo Town Clerk, Mr Christopher Dube, in a notice said water supplies to all city areas, with the exception of the Central Business District (CBD), industrial areas and suburbs supplied by the Tuli Reservoir, would be interrupted from 9am on Thursday, 20 August, until 6pm on Friday, 21 August.
The interruption comes as council undertakes emergency repair works on the Insiza pipeline at Karmen Farm along the Ncema-Insiza water conveyance system, one of the city’s key raw water supply routes.
According to council, the repairs will necessitate the temporary shutdown of raw water pumping on the Flowserve line, significantly reducing the volume of bulk water delivered into Bulawayo.
“The disruption is due to urgent repair works on the Insiza pipeline at Karmen Farm located along the Ncema/Insiza pipeline. The urgent repairs will culminate in the temporary shutdown of raw water pumping on the Flowserve line, significantly reducing bulk water delivery into the city,” said Mr Dube.
To safeguard already strained reservoir levels and protect the integrity of the distribution network, council said it had no option but to suspend supplies to most residential areas during the maintenance period.
Only areas supplied by the Tuli Reservoir, together with the CBD and industrial zones, will continue receiving water during the shutdown.
The local authority said supplies would be restored progressively once pumping operations resume and reservoir levels stabilise.
