Gweru supply dams spill

Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
GWERU and Kwekwe dams that supply residents with water are now spilling following the incessant rains that have been falling in and around the cities.

Other water reservoirs throughout the country have also received significant water inflows with the national dam level average rising to 91,8 percent.

City of Gweru gets its water from Gwenhoro and Amapongobwe dams while Kwekwe city gets its water from Sebakwe dam.
Redcliff town also gets its water from Kwekwe.

Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) corporate communications and marketing manager Mrs Marjorie Munyonga said:

“As of February 9, 2022, the national dam level average had risen to 91,8 percent. Dams supplying some of the major cities such as Chivero which supplies Harare and Sebakwe which supplies the towns of Kwekwe and Redcliff are already full and spilling. Gwenhoro and Amapongobwe dams which supply the city of Gweru are also now full and spilling,” she said.

Mrs Munyonga said other dams that are now full or spilling include Tugwi-Mukosi (Masvingo), Masembura (Bindura), Nyamafufu (Mvuna), Insukamini (Lower Gweru) and Muchekeranwa (Marondera).

“However, Mzingwane Dam, which is one of the major dams for the City of Bulawayo remains very low at nine percent,” she said.

Mrs Munyonga said the water in the dams is sufficient to meet domestic and summer irrigation needs.

“While the water in the dams is sufficient to meet the domestic and summer irrigation needs, farmers involved in summer irrigation are advised to approach their respective service centres and sign water abstraction agreements as required by the law,” she said.

Gweru City used to have serious challenges in supplying water to its residents as a result of antiquated and inadequate pumps at its Gwenhoro water works.

In 2020, the Second Republic had to intervene in order to avert a looming crisis with the respect to water supply in the city by availing funds for the procurement of the required pumps.