Councils must upgrade water pumping capacities

Most towns and cities have since independence in 1980 witnessed phenomenal growth with new suburbs being built every year but this has not been matched by an expansion of the pumping capacity. The worst affected are Gweru and Harare but almost all urban areas are facing the problem of failing to meet daily water consumption.
In Gweru, suburbs such as Mkoba Village 15, Village 18, Village 19 and Village 20 at times go for several weeks without water yet the city’s major supply dam, Gwenoro, has adequate water to meet the city’s demand. The city, which is supposed to operate with at least six pumps at any given time, at times operates with just two pumps which constantly break down. 
The council has already embarked on a project to upgrade its pumping capacity and the project involves replacing the old pumps with new ones and installing additional pumps.
The situation is equally bad in Harare where some suburbs have gone for years without water, prompting many residents to drill boreholes. In Bulawayo, some western suburbs at times receive erratic supplies. The main problem as we have already pointed out is that the local authorities did not expand their pumping capacities as the population of their respective towns increased over the years.
What is therefore urgently needed is for councils to upgrade their pumping capacities in line with the growth of their respective towns’ population. Bulawayo’s main supply dam, Insiza, has adequate water but there is urgent need to speed up the duplication of the Insiza pipeline so that more water could be pumped from the dam. According to the Minister of Water Resources Development and Management, Samuel Sipepa Nkomo, $20 million is needed for the project.
Minister Nkomo, who toured the city’s supply dams last Friday together with Bulawayo City Council staff to assess the water situation, said once the duplication of the pipeline was complete, it will guarantee the city adequate water supplies.
We want to implore the Government to urgently avail funds for the project to avoid  the situation obtaining in Gweru and Harare where residents are forced to go for weeks without the precious liquid as this is a recipe for disaster. Minister  Nkomo should push councils to upgrade their pumping capacities without further delay.
The upgrading project in Gweru has taken too long to complete despite the fact that the council was provided with money by central Government and other donors to undertake the project. Councils should prioritise water supply projects because failing to supply water exposes residents to waterborne diseases such as cholera.