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Combined, the dams had 191 924 172 cubic metres of water compared to 136 497 187 cubic metres in the same period in 2010.
This accounts for 52,93 percent of capacity compared to 37,64 percent during the same period the previous year.
This is against the city’s average daily consumption rate of between 117 000 and 120 000 cubic metres.
“The rainy season to date has not yet yielded significant inflows with only two dam catchments, Umzingwane and Lower Ncema, getting seven millimetres and four millimetres,” reads the report.
“All the city’s dams are still operational with abstraction being mainly from Lower Ncema, Inyankuni and Insiza.”
The council’s director of engineering services, Engineer Simela Dube, said the present storage could only last a year and some months.
“The total amount of water stored in the dams stands at 191 925 172 cubic metres and based on this month’s draw down of 9 488 638 cubic metres, the expected depletion period translates to approximately over 20 months,” said Engineer Dube.
Although the city fathers said there was no threat of future water shortages, they reiterated the need to expedite the Mtshabezi Pipeline project and Insiza pipe duplication.
About 80 percent of the city’s water is contained in Insiza Mayfair Dam, but its pipeline is too small to draw sufficient water to meet the city’s ballooning demand.
The chairperson of the Future Water and Water Action Committee, Councillor Norman Hlabani of Ward 26, expressed concern over delays in the completion of the feasibility study for the Insiza pipe duplication and connection of power to Mtshabezi pump house.
The 42km Mtshabezi Pipeline connects Mtshabezi Dam to Umzingwane Dam pipeline. Mtshabezi Dam has a capacity of
holding 56 million cubic metres of water, which can go a long way towards augmenting Bulawayo’s water supplies.
Bulawayo residents have also expressed disappointment over delays in the completion of the project, which was scheduled to be completed last year.
Water Resources Development and Management Minister Samuel Sipepa Nkomo has indicated that the Mtshabezi Pipeline project would be commissioned around May this year.
Town Clerk Mr Middleton Nyoni, however, said the tender for power supply for the project had already been awarded to a Bulawayo-based company.
Eng Dube said the water-rationing programme should remain in place but was quick to point out that the measure had not resulted in any significant reduction in water consumption.
Bulawayo also draws some of its water from boreholes at the Nyamandlovu Aquifer.
Bulawayo Mayor Clr Thaba Moyo is on record saying the present dams were no longer able to support the ballooning population.
He said there was a need to build more supply dams to augment the city’s water supply capacity.
There have also been calls for the speedy construction of the Gwayi-Shangani Dam, a major component of the National
Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project (NMZWP), as the long-term solution to Bulawayo’s perennial water woes.
Online Reporter