Cowdray Park residents resort to unsafe wells as water crisis worsens

Residents of the sprawling suburb of Cowdray Park in Bulawayo, have resorted to digging wells in unhygienic swampy areas where they draw dirty water, presenting significant health risks. These wells, dug hastily out of necessity, lack proper sanitation measures. The situation is exacerbated by inconsistent municipal water supply, forcing residents to turn to these alternatives.

For years, Bulawayo has been grappling with a severe water crisis, with the situation worsening in recent times. The crisis has deep roots, stemming from a combination of inadequate and aging infrastructure, and prolonged dry spells, which have drastically reduced the water levels in the city’s supply dams.

The city’s population has also grown considerably, putting additional pressure on the water supply system. The infrastructure, designed for a much smaller population, is now failing to cope. Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has implemented strict water rationing schedules, with some areas receiving water as infrequently as once a week, forcing residents to resort to unhygienic water sources.

When the Chronicle visited Cowdray Park yesterday, the news crew observed some residents drawing water from open wells. In interviews, some residents said they use the water for cooking, washing, and watering their gardens.

They said due to the tight water rationing schedule, they only get access to clean water once a week. They said most of the boreholes which were drilled in various strategic points are not functioning.

One of the residents, Mrs Manikeni Chiwara who is a widow, said lack of clean water presented health challenges for them.

“As residents, we rely on these wells as our daily source of water because we don’t have access to clean sources of water. We appeal to the council to assist us by drilling boreholes as most of them have either dried up or broken down,” she said.

“We are now prone to contracting water-borne diseases such as cholera due to lack of clean potable water.”

Another resident, Mr Thabani Khoza said they are sitting on a health timebomb as the city’s water woes continue to mount. He said some women risk being mugged or raped while waiting at the wells at night.

Bulawayo Residents Association (Bura) chairperson, Mr Winos Dube said while residents were in a Catch-22 situation due to the gruelling water challenges, drinking water from unprotected sources is a recipe for disaster.

“We want to encourage residents to avoid using water drawn from unprotected water sources. The consequences of this are dire and we are likely to have an outbreak of water-borne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery and typhoid,” he said.

“We know water comes out from our taps for two days a week and during these days residents must harvest as much water as possible and store it in clean containers. We are in a crisis but our health must be of priority.” In 2020, the city was hit by a typhoid and dysentery outbreak in Luveve suburb that claimed 13 lives and infected close to 2 000 residents.

In a statement, Bulawayo Town Clerk, Mr Christopher Dube said the local authority has temporarily suspended the current water-shedding programme and cut off supply to all residential areas to pave the way for repairs on the Sulzer raw water pump at Ncema Water Works.

“The city of Bulawayo would like to advise members of the public of water supply interruptions to all areas in the city including outside areas except industry and the central business district.

“This is due to an emergency shutdown to conduct repairs on the Sulzer raw water pump at Ncema Water Works. This will result in reduced raw water delivery to the city and subsequently decreasing treatment at Criterion Works leading to the compromised city reservoir levels,” he said.

Mr Dube said to protect the supply and distribution reservoirs from collapsing, they temporarily suspended water shedding and cut off supplies. He said supplies are scheduled to resume today after pumping and stabilisation of reservoirs.