Bulawayo buckles under the weight of water challenges

AS Bulawayo continues to grapple with a worsening water crisis, residents have expressed growing frustration over prolonged dry taps, with some suburbs receiving water for barely an hour a week under the city’s 120-hour water shedding regime.

The severe shortages have forced many households to buy bulk water from private suppliers as desperate measures to cope. Others rely on boreholes and wells, while some turn to unsafe water sources, raising fears of potential outbreaks of water-borne diseases.

The water crisis, which has become a recurring nightmare for Bulawayo, is being blamed on a combination of ageing infrastructure, climate change and increased demand driven by urban expansion.

Bulawayo’s water woes date back several decades, with the city’s supply dams — Umzingwane, Inyankuni, Upper Ncema, Lower Ncema, Mtshabezi and Insiza — often running critically low during dry spells.

Once hailed for its efficient water management systems, the city now faces a situation where dam levels, vandalised infrastructure and illegal gold panning in catchment areas are compounding the problem.

Recurring droughts have left the city vulnerable to persistent shortages. In high-density suburbs such as Cowdray Park, Magwegwe and Emakhandeni, residents say the situation has become unbearable.

One resident, Mr Joey Sibanda, took to social media to highlight the plight of affected communities.
“Mayor Coltart, are you aware of the water struggles facing Bulawayo’s high-density suburbs? Recently, Cowdray Park only had water for one hour after a two-week water shedding period. It’s a serious crisis that we are in,” he wrote.

Mr Sibanda said in Emakhandeni and Magwegwe, residents had access to running water for just a day after a week without any.
“We can’t live like this. The water shortages are a danger to the masses. People are relieving themselves everywhere. Please advise what the problem could be,” he added.

In response, Bulawayo Mayor Councillor David Coltart acknowledged the gravity of the situation.
“I am aware of this terrible situation and in our full council meeting (held last Wednesday), I argued that a plan of action be devised by our town clerk and engineers to address the problem,” he said.

During that meeting, Clr Coltart said that addressing the water crisis remains the city’s top priority.
“There is a broad consensus between council management, councillors and residents that the water situation is our number one priority. Bulawayo is the only city in the entire country that faces a shortage of raw water,” said the mayor.

He noted that while other cities were constructing new dams to meet growing demand, Bulawayo’s options remained limited.
“Going forward, we must focus on the short-term and medium-term goals of addressing the water situation in Bulawayo,” said Clr Coltart.

Bulawayo United Residents Association (Bura) chairperson, Mr Winos Dube, said residents were incurring extra costs buying bulk water despite receiving little or no supply from the city council.

“The city council continues to bill residents for water they hardly get. Some bills are ridiculously high even though people go for more than a week with dry taps,” he said.

“At this rate, residents are being double-charged — they buy bulk water from private suppliers while still paying monthly council bills. This is not sustainable.”

During last week’s budget consultation meeting at the City Hall, residents demanded that council urgently address the persistent water crisis and stalled reticulation projects. Similar calls were echoed at the National Residents Summit in Bulawayo, where participants urged increased budget allocations for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (Wash) services.