Chronicle Editor
Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu
BULAWAYO Province has the highest proportion of households with basic water services in Zimbabwe as 86 percent of residents access the commodity, a recent report shows.
The 2023 Urban-Livelihoods Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) report shows that the national average stands at 48,4 percent, a figure which has been improving during the past few years although Harare has the lowest proportion at 19,1 percent.
ZimVAC also noted that the high access to limited water services in many provinces is attributed to the Government’s intervention through the drilling of community boreholes.
Drinking water services refer to the accessibility, availability and quality of the main source used by households for drinking, cooking, personal hygiene and other domestic uses. Worldwide, 2,2 billion people still lack access to safe drinking water and 3 billion people do not have access to handwashing facilities with soap.
“For the Republic of Zimbabwe, the National Development Strategy 1’s thrust is to improve water supply, ensuring that the proportion of the country’s population using a secure, potable drinking water source increases. The target is to increase access to potable water to at least 90 percent by 2025. With regards to sanitation, the Government of Zimbabwe aims to expand access to improved sanitation facilities to 77,32 percent by 2025, in both urban and rural areas,” reads the same report.
“Bulawayo province recorded the highest proportion of households with basic water services (86 percent) and Harare had the highest proportion of households with unimproved water services.
“Bulawayo province (65 percent) had the highest proportion of households with basic sanitation facilities while the proportion of households still practicing open defecation was highest in Matabeleland South (9,9 percent).”
Bulawayo director for water and engineering services Engineer Sikhumbuzo Ncube said the city has maintained an effective water demand management system to ensure residents have access to water.
He said due to climate change, Bulawayo’s supply dams have been receiving decreased inflows which eventually forced council to introduce water shedding to ensure that residents never run out of water despite challenges.
Bulawayo draws water from Inyankuni, Insiza, Upper Ncema, Lower Ncema, Mtshabezi and Umzingwane dams as well as Nyamandlovu and Epping Forest aquifers.
The metropolitan province requires 165 megalitres of water daily, but due to a sharp decline in water levels at the city’s supply dams, it is currently pumping 155 megalitres.
“We remain committed to supplying residents with fresh and clean water daily despite challenges that we have been facing as Bulawayo. In 2022 our inflows went down to 58 percent from 65 percent and in 2020 the figure stood at 72 percent. Despite these climate change-imposed challenges, we prioritise ensuring that our quality of water does not change and even though we have introduced water shedding, our residents still access enough water to cater for all their needs,” said Eng Ncube.
“We also have a daily water restoration programme which is always being updated to ensure our residents are aware of what is on the ground since we do quality control checks on our supply dams, and pumping stations daily. I can also say our water conservation strategies have helped us continue supplying water during difficult times like now and we will continue making use of those so that our residents are not affected.”
The Government in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB) injected US$37 million under the Bulawayo Water and Sewerage Services Improvement Project (BWSSIP) to improve municipal water supply and sanitation services through the rehabilitation of the city’s water supply system.
Engineer Ncube said the BWSSIP managed to stabilise the water situation in Bulawayo, with the situation set to further improve when water from Lake Gwayi-Shangani finally arrives in the city.
ZimVAC reports have an important role in guiding resource allocation for the vulnerable population, planning of national programmes and have emerged as a guiding document for responding to livelihoods challenges.
The rural and urban livelihoods assessments are therefore part of a comprehensive food and nutrition security information system which informs Government and its development partners on programming necessary for saving lives and strengthening livelihoods in Zimbabwe.
Online Reporter