Council approves water shedding reduction

Ward 14 councillor Phinias Ndlovu said although water shedding was reduced, the council was going to remain strict in conserving the precious liquid.

“This is a good move, but the relevant department should not relax and waste water.

“We have to be careful and ensure that we stick to stipulated schedules because the future is still uncertain,” said Clr Ndlovu.

Ward 27 Clr Siboniso Khumalo said the reduction in water shedding should benefit all residents in the city.

He said council should ensure that upland suburbs such as Pumula South and Nkulumane were given enough water in order to prevent an outbreak of diseases.

“We request that we boost pressure in areas such as Pumula. The residents there are suffering a lot especially in schools. Most schools in the area operate without water and there is a danger of an outbreak of diseases if pupils spend days without water,” said Clr Khumalo.

The mayor concurred with Clr Khumalo and tasked the Engineering Services Director Engineer Simela Dube to take note of the areas of concern and ensure that all residents benefit equally from the reduced water shedding regime.

However, the council is yet to come up with a new water shedding schedule.

Council introduced water shedding in all suburbs in July last year in a bid to conserve the limited supplies in the city’s supply dams.

As the rains continue residents are optimistic of improved inflows into the dams before the end of the rain season.

Last month the local authority started drawing water from Mtshabezi Dam although its volume is being limited by inadequate power since electricity is yet to be connected to the pump station.

At the moment the pump house is using generators, which cannot pump continuously.

Councillors have said the city was expected to draw 17 000 cubic metres of water from Mtshabezi Dam by the beginning of May.

The 17 000 cubic metres a day is expected to reduce the water shedding by another 24 hours.

Most of the city’s water is held at Insiza Dam, but its abstraction is limited by the pipeline capacity, which needs to be duplicated.

The long-term solution to Bulawayo’s water crisis is the National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project (NMZWP), whose implementation has started.

Bulawayo is operating with a deficit of about three supply dams. A dam is supposed to be constructed every 10 years to cater for an increasing population.