Diasporans in Byo water aid

Vusumuzi Dube, Senior Municipal Reporter

A CANADA-BASED non-governmental organisation, #TheWalk, which in May launched a Bulawayo Water Crisis Relief Fund has completed the construction of a water kiosk in Pumula South.

The organisation which initially aimed at constructing the kiosks in Magwegwe and Nkulumane to ease water shortages in these areas, ended up constructing one in Pumula South after consultations with Bulawayo City Council officials.

The organisation had aimed to raise CD$15 000 (US$11 000) towards this water relief project.

In a press statement the organisation’s executive director, Mr Thabo Siziba revealed that they had managed to raise US$8500 which had gone towards the construction of the kiosk.

“Our initial plan was to construct the kiosks, in uareas allocated by BCC but which did not have boreholes onsite, but rather where water would be transported to the kiosks and poured into 10 000 litre tanks for consumption by the community. Further engagement with our prospective donors and investors exposed concern over the cost of transporting water to none self-servicing kiosk sites.

“We now needed to work only on sites that needed borehole drilling or that have unequipped boreholes or ones that needed repair and or restoration. That is how our decision to work on the Pumula South borehole was made. The estimated cost of constructing the site to completion, including all solar installations, was US$8 500,” said Mr Siziba.

The kiosk is expected to service of 400 households in the suburb.

Pumula South is one of the hardest hit suburbs in the city, with authorities noting that some parts will only be connected to the council water system provided the supply dams receive enough inflows in the next rainy season which starts around November.

The city is enduring serious water rationing with residents getting water once a week after the council introduced a six-day water rationing schedule.

The local authority, a couple of weeks ago also announced that in the high density suburbs, they will only be able to supply water as and when available as they work towards boosting levels at Magwegwe and Criterion reservoirs.