admin
Nozibelo Maphosa and Vusumuzi Dube, Sunday News Reporters
BULAWAYO will be forced to introduce a water shedding regime in November amid revelations that the city is left with five months’ supply in its dams.
Dam level statistics released to Sunday News by Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) revealed that the city was the most affected among other cities and towns.
The national water authority said it was monitoring demand and inflows in the city and would declare a disaster when the need arises. Responding to written questions, Zinwa corporate communications and marketing manager Mrs Marjorie Munyonga appealed to residents to use water sparingly.
“The situation for Bulawayo remains critical as levels for supply dams continue receding. Zinwa will, however, continue to monitor demand and inflows into the dams. In the case of Beitbridge, the town has a huge water supply back up in the form of Zhovhe Dam which is 78,4 percent full.
“In Masvingo, Zinwa will ensure that adequate reserves are left for Masvingo Municipality when releases are made to the Lowveld sugarcane estates. The authority continues to appeal to all water users to use water sparingly in light of the current drought,” said Mrs Munyonga.
She said those intending to irrigate using water from Zinwa managed dams were advised to approach the authority for water abstraction agreements as required by the law.
According to the statistics supplied by Zinwa, of the major cities and towns, Beitbridge has the lowest supply capacity despite having a reliable back up from Zhovhe Dam, with just 1,9 months supply left.
According to statistics, Bulawayo has 5,2 months left, Gwanda 9,3 months, Mutare 13,5, Kwekwe 14,1, Kadoma 17,5, Harare 22, 4 and Masvingo is left with 30 months supply of water in its dams.
Bulawayo City Council senior public relations officer, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu confirmed the pending crisis in the city, saying the city was no longer using one dam — Upper Ncema — which has been decommissioned as it has reached unprecedented levels at 1,48 percent full.
Umzingwane Dam is also facing decommissioning at 3,89 percent capacity, Inyankuni is 13 percent full, Lower Ncema is 35,12 percent full, Insiza Mayfair is 49,37 percent full and Mtshabezi Dam has the largest quantity at 60,37 percent.
Bulawayo Mayor Councillor Martin Moyo said the city could be reintroducing water shedding in November if the water situation remained as it was. He said while they do not want to take this route they would be left with no choice as the supply dams had reached critical levels.
“Residents should help us by using water carefully, we are in a crisis and our only hope is that we get significant rain during this rain season. Naturally we don’t want to shed water but we will be left with no choice noting the dwindling levels at all our supply dams.
“As it stands we might be starting water shedding by November but this is subject to whether we receive any inflows or not but the truth is we are in a crisis and the only thing we can do for now is continue hoping,” said Clr Moyo.
The city introduced the water shedding exercise in July 2012 in a bid to conserve the limited supplies in the city’s supply dams. The Mtshabezi-Umzingwane pipeline link project was viewed as a short-term solution to the city’s perennial water problems together with the drilling of new boreholes at Epping Forest.
The long term solution to the city’s water problems is considered as the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project (MZWP). The Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate recently announced that the city would soon be constructing a new dam at Glassblock in Matabeleland South, which is expected to cost an estimated $208 million.
derick.khumalo