adminThe drilling of the boreholes was funded by the church. They were drilled in 10 suburbs which are Pumula East, South, Old and North, Gwabalanda, Makokoba, Emakhandeni, Thorngrove and Nkulumane. Old Pumula got two.
Speaking at the handover ceremony at Nkulumane 5 borehole near Bullet Shopping Centre, the Mayor of Bulawayo, Councillor
Thaba Moyo, said the boreholes were very important to the people of Bulawayo.
“The boreholes are strategically located in different high- density areas and they will complement strategies that the council has set to address the water situation.
“We are all aware that because of the low water levels in our dams, residents need to continue to conserve water,” said Clr Moyo.
He said the boreholes were going to keep the water situation under control in the city.
“It is pleasing to note that some organisations like Latter Day Saints Charities are committed to helping the city improve service delivery particularly in the provision of water,” said Clr Moyo.
“I would also like to urge residents to be good stewards of these facilities and stop being irresponsible as I have heard that in some suburbs borehole parts are being stolen.”
The president of Latter Day Saints Charities, Elder John Benich, said his church was delighted to be helping the communities.
“It is part of our humanitarian role to help out communities in terms of resources and in this case water. We managed to gather funds from members of the church worldwide and we hope residents will take care of these boreholes,” said Elder Benich.
He also said that the church was going to continue helping the city.
Speaking at the same occasion, a Nkulumane resident, Mrs Flora Mutigi, said the borehole was going to make the life of residents easier.
“It is no news that we might have water rationing soon and we need a borehole. We also have vulnerable residents that will get a chance to use the borehole to start nutrition gardens so that they sustain themselves,” said Mrs Mutigi.
She said the dry spell that was experienced by the city was going to affect the residents who struggled without water when they were disconnected.
The city recently experienced a dry spell, which has made water-shedding inevitable if the Mtshabezi-Umzingwane pipeline is not completed soon.
The Minister of Water Resources, Management and Development, Samuel Sipepa Nkomo admitted on Sunday that the city’s water situation had reached crisis proportions.
He said if the ministry failed to complete the pipeline by June this year, there was going to be a disaster in the city.
Online Reporter