Raymond Jaravaza, Zimpapers Reporter
FOUR of Bulawayo’s supply dams are sitting on less than 46 percent capacity as residents brace for the possibility of the introduction of a stringent water shedding regime by Bulawayo City Council to preserve water.
The city has six supply dams namely Umzingwane, Mtshabezi, Inyankuni, Lower Ncema, Insiza and Upper Ncema.
The dams with the lowest water levels are Inyankuni and Umzingwane at 28 percent and 32.4 percent respectively while Lower Ncema is sitting at 39.1 percent capacity. Upper Ncema, which is situated in Esigodini, Matabeleland South Province, is at 45 percent capacity.
Mtshabezi Dam, which spilled for the first time since 2017 during the previous rainy season, is at 99.1 percent while Insiza, also commonly known as Mayfair, is at 80 percent capacity.
The statistics were released by the Zimbabwe National Water Authority on Tuesday.
Bulawayo United Residents Association (BURA) chairperson Mr Winos Dube called on residents to preserve water.
“We are told by the weather experts the El Nino weather pattern will affect the country so the rains will not be good this season. Residents must preserve water and report water pipe bursts or leaks as soon as possible so that council can attend to them before thousands of litres of water are lost at a time when every drop counts,” said Mr Dube.
