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The rest of the water, described as Non-Revenue Water (NRW), amounting to millions of cubic metres in some months, somehow got “lost” after it was pumped from the dams.
A cubic metre is equal to 1 000 litres.
The scenario unfolds amid fears that council’s erratic billing system could be resulting in residents paying for the missing water.
The city has a perennial water problem that has led to a water rationing regime that has not been lifted for a number of years.
The water problem has been partly blamed for the de-industrialisation of the city as companies continue to relocate to other parts of the country.
The relocations have resulted in Bulawayo losing its status as the industrial hub of the country.
According to the report, council officials advanced different theories to account for the missing water.
“The water production figures are all estimated as all system input volume (flow meters) meters are non-functional.
“The billed water consumption is also not consistent as during some months the meter reading cycle is not completed, resulting in estimation of bills,” reads the report.
It is further stated in the report that the accuracy of most water meters in the city was doubtful, as about 70 percent of them were more than 20 years old.
Water leaks and pipe bursts in the ageing water infrastructure were also blamed.
The report shows that the highest amount of water lost was recorded in September last year.
“A total of 4 035 685 cubic metres of water were pumped from the dams. NRW totalled 1 607 053 cubic metres. This represented a loss of 39,82 percent. About 1 222 501 cubic metres were lost in March 2010,” reads the report.
Councillors suggested that there was a need to reduce billing errors.
They said most of the utility bills had estimated water meter readings, which were confusing.
The councillors cited the case of a Nkulumane woman who was issued with summons over an estimated meter reading worth of $1 700.
Responding to questions from the councillors, the city’s Director of Engineering Services, Engineer Simela Dube said:
“A programme has been commissioned to identify all the areas within the system where treated water is lost. This is expected to reduce the losses to 20 percent.”
Last year, Eng Dube told a parliamentary portfolio committee on gender and development on access to water that a significant investment was needed to replace old water pipes that were leaking, through which a lot of water was being lost in the city.
Bongani Ndlovu