Government rolls out measures to boost bulk water delivery in Bulawayo

GOVERNMENT is rolling out a raft of measures to enhance bulk water delivery in Bulawayo, with some of the latest initiatives including the installation of new pumps at the Umzingwane Pump Station and the drilling of additional boreholes at the Nyamandlovu aquifer.

The city is grappling with a persistent water crisis, a development that has forced Bulawayo City Council (BCC) to introduce a 120-hour water-shedding programme to conserve water.

The new pumps at Umzingwane Pump Station are expected to significantly boost water extraction and distribution capacity, alleviating some of the immediate water shortages faced by the city’s residents.

This upgrade is part of a broader strategy to modernise and improve the efficiency of Bulawayo’s water infrastructure.

In addition, the drilling of new boreholes at the Nyamandlovu aquifer aims to increase the city’s water supply from underground sources. This initiative is crucial in diversifying Bulawayo’s water sources and ensuring a more reliable and consistent water supply, especially in the wake of recurrent droughts.

These measures underscore the Second Republic’s commitment to tackling Bulawayo’s perennial water challenges. By investing in critical water infrastructure, Government aims to provide a sustainable solution to the city’s water crisis, supporting long-term development and economic growth.

Following nearly a decade of poor rainfall, Bulawayo’s dams have failed to capture significant amounts of water, leading to the introduction of water-shedding by the council.

Latest council statistics show that water levels at the city’s dams are at 34 percent.

Bulawayo draws water from five of its six supply dams after Umzingwane Dam was decommissioned last year with the decommissioning of Lower Ncema imminent.

President Mnangagwa at the end of last year appointed a Bulawayo Water Technical Committee to oversee the improvement of bulk water delivery in Bulawayo under the 100-day cycle.

Responding to questions in Parliament on Bulawayo water situation on Wednesday, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Deputy Minister Davis Marapira said the Treasury has availed funding to upgrade the Umzingwane Pump Station with a contractor having awarded a tender to start the construction process.

“The contract for the supply and installation of water pumps and accessories at Umzingwane Pump Station is currently underway. The procurement of materials for the suction and manifolds is 100 percent complete, fabrication and installation of suction and delivery remains at 50 percent and procurement of pumps is at 30 percent.

“Pumps are in the production stage and delivery is expected in September,” he said.

Deputy Minister Marapira said a consensus has been made to use the available funds to improve the available raw supply from Umzingwane, Inyankuni and Mtshabezi raw water supply systems.

He said the Mtshabezi-Umzingwane interlinking pipeline bypass project is still at a tender stage with tenders for the project advertised on June 30 2024 and expected to close at the end of this month.

Deputy Minister Marapira said works on improving water pumping are underway at Inyakuni Pump Station.

“The mechanical works at Inyakuni are in progress. Pump assembly is at 20 percent completion, valve manufacture and assembly is at 30 percent, electromagnetic flow metre assembly is at 20 percent and overhead crane is at 50 percent,” he said.

“The rehabilitation of Clarifiers Ncema Water Treatment Works is in progress and the contractor successfully moved to the site. The contractor is currently doing fabrication of the components.”

Deputy Minister Marapira said under the non-revenue water reduction plan a total of US$2,3 million projects have been identified and earmarked for implementation this year.

He said BCC is also in the process of procuring leak repair materials to reduce the backlog of leaks and several projects have been identified for rehabilitation and upgrading.

“Currently work is ongoing on sewer chokes in hotspot areas, manhole replacements and replacements of old and collapsing sewer outfalls,” he said.

The deputy minister said the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) is in the process of rehabilitating boreholes at Nyamandlovu aquifer to augment the city’s water supplies.

“Rehabilitation of Nyamandlovu 60 boreholes, 20 at Epping Forest and 40 at Rochester, is ongoing, 42 out of 60 boreholes are now operational. The total amount of water being supplied from the aquifer is 14 to 16 megalitres of water per day,” he said.

“To improve on the raw water available, work is currently ongoing at Umzingwane, Inyankuni dam site and at Nyamandlovu aquifer,” he said.

Deputy Minister Marapira said the council requires US$90 000 per month to procure water treatment chemicals.

“The city has managed to consistently supply water treatment chemicals. However, they require consistently US$90 000 monthly for chemicals. There is a need for more financial resources for them to maintain a four and six-month’s supply to ensure availability of the chemicals we need,” he said. — @nqotshili