Dam levels critical Tighter water rationing regime looms

The dams have a total of 196 592 234 cubic metres of water, out of a possible 362 631 70.
The latest council report shows that the dams, Insiza, Inyankuni, Lower Ncema, Umzingwane and Upper Ncema, have received a mere two percent inflow of water since the rainy season began in November.
In an interview yesterday, Eng Dube said if the city does not get substantial rains, council would be forced to reduce the daily allocation of water for every household in residential areas by 50 litres next month.
“Generally, the daily ration for houses in the western suburbs would be restricted to 300 litres of water a day while those in the eastern areas would have their ration cut to 350 litres,” said Eng Dube.
He said the Insiza pipeline restriction was the major problem facing council at the moment.
Council is battling to raise funds to complete the duplication of the pipeline to increase its pumping capacity.
“Theoretically, the city has enough water to last 20 months. However, most of the water – 156 141 900 cubic metres – is held in the city’s largest supply dam, Insiza, which is 90 percent full. The problem is that the dam has a small pipe for pumping water, which would not be able to meet the city’s unsuppressed demand, once the other dams run out of water,” said Eng Dube.
“The dam would have water but it would not be possible to pump it out fast enough to meet demand.”
Eng Dube said Inyankuni Dam held 21,9 percent of its capacity, Lower Ncema had 56 percent, Umzingwane 17,2 percent, while Upper Ncema was only 10,7 percent full.
“If we do not get rains soon, some of the dams like Umzingwane, Upper Ncema and Inyankuni might be decommissioned in June. This would put pressure on Insiza,” he said.
Eng Dube said the only other solution for the city lay with the completion of the Mtshabezi-Umzingwane pipeline by June or July.
A tight water-rationing regime has been in place for a number of years to force residents to use less water.
Residential flats with individual meters are allowed to use not more than 350 litres while residents in the western suburbs are also allowed to use 350 litres.
Individual metered houses in the eastern suburbs are expected to use 400 litres a day while institutions and companies are allowed to use 60 to 80 percent of the water they were using in the six months ending December 2009, depending on the institution.
Mtshabezi Dam was completed in 1994 and has a holding capacity of 52,2 million cubic metres of water.
Since the dam’s construction, the water body has been lying idle.
The construction of the pipeline linking the dam to Umzingwane Dam, one of the city’s water sources, has always hit snags.
Over the years, completion dates have been set and postponed.
Last year, completion date had been set for March, but it was moved to October.
The US$32 million dam is viewed as the short-term solution to Bulawayo’s persistent water shortages while the National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project is touted as the permanent solution.
Bulawayo is now under permanent water rationing as the city battles to preserve its ever-dwindling water supplies.
The Minister of Water Resources Development and Management, Samuel Sipepa Nkomo, has however, always controversially maintained that the city’s water problems were grossly exaggerated.
Last year in July, he said there was no need for a rush to complete the pipeline.
Meanwhile, according to the State of Major Dams report released by the water regulatory body, Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) yesterday, Harare’s supply dams-Manyame, Chivero, Seke and Harava are 96.6 full and have seen a 10 percent increase since the beginning of 2012.
According to the report, Mutare and Gweru supply dams are 75.7 and 80.6 percent full respectively.
Gwanda’s Lower Mijjeni dam is 70.2 percent full while Mhlangwa, Mangwe and Bulilima dams of Plumtree are 95.5 percent full.