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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has shelved a study to determine whether recycled Khami Dam water can be suitable for drinking after Covid-19 affected the exercise.
The city needs about US$600 000 to resume various studies and look into other interventions.
Council has been struggling to convince residents to accept recycled Khami water for potable use.
Residents maintain the water has too many pollutants that include industrial chemicals and human waste.
The local authority has insisted modern purification processes can bring the water to World Health Organisation standards for potability.
Recycling of Khami Dam water is part of the city’s medium-term plan towards addressing the worsening Bulawayo water crisis.
The crisis has resulted in residents receiving tap water for 12 hours in a week while some suburbs have gone for more than eight months without supplies.
The council was set to conduct a Khami water feasibility study under the US$33 million African Development Bank (AfDB) funded Bulawayo Water and Sewerage Services Improvement Project (BWSSIP) to improve water and reticulation services in the city.
The project which is 84 percent complete is expected to be completed before the end of this month after Covid-19 stalled its completion at the end of March.
The Covid-19 disruptions affected the implementation of three studies including the possible recycling of Khami Dam water.
The dam was decommissioned as one of Bulawayo’s supply dams between 1987/88 after sewer seeped into the dam.
Council believes advanced technologies will enable the recycling of Khami Dam water for potable use.
In an interview, the city’s director of engineering services Engineer Simela Dube said while most of the AfDB projects are near completion, funds have been exhausted and studies to improve access and management of water have been suspended.
He said an additional US$600 000 is required for council to conduct studies including the suitability of Khami Dam water.
“What we did was to engage with the contractors in terms of what are the additional costs. We had to look at the total project summary and rationalise it. There are some projects like studies which we have put on hold. We are applying to Government for additional funding to complete those projects. The projects that have been put on hold include the water recycling study for industrial use and also ring fencing of the water system services so that water can account for its expenditures and incomes without getting subsidies,” he said.
The council in August said while a feasibility study would be conducted to assess the suitability of Khami Dam water it had conducted tests and observed that its quality meets the Standard Association of Zimbabwe raw water quality that makes it suitable for drinking.
Despite council presenting a solid proposal, some residents have strongly opposed the council’s proposal to draw water from the dam.
Eng Dube said a study to establish if council’s tariff is reasonable has also been suspended.
“We have had debate on whether it’s okay to give everyone five kilolitres of water per day freely. So that study was going to look at that and come up with a way we should structure our tariffs. The studies would be costing in the range of US$600 000 and that is what has been deferred. But the US$33 million that had been allocated will be used to complete other projects,” said Eng Dube.
In an interview recently, Zinwa chief executive officer Engineer Taurai Maurikira said while recycling of water is done worldwide, social acceptance was more critical.
“Recycling of water is technology that is implemented worldwide. It’s a global way of handling water shortage but it really needs analysis to see how feasible it is. It’s quite an expensive operation and what that means is that the financial demands might outstrip the benefits thereof. It’s quite a balancing act that we need to undertake, an analysis as well the acceptability of recycling within communities,” said Eng Maurikira. -@nqotshili
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