Chronicle Editor
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Reporter
BULAWAYO City Council (BCC) is planning to construct a hydro-power station at Khami Dam and has since allocated land for investors to set up solar farms as the city moves towards the use of clean energy.
Khami Dam was built in 1928 and decommissioned in 1988. In 2020, there was an uproar from residents after council indicated it wanted to purify water from the dam for domestic consumption. There was heavy resistance as residents said the water was contaminated with industrial chemicals and human waste.
Under a new strategy, BCC wants to embrace the smart city concept and move towards clean energy.
It has since also advertised to potential partners to come up with concepts on how to modernise old suburbs such as Makokoba as part of urban renewal.
Speaking during an interview at the local authority’s stand at the 62nd edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair which opened its doors yesterday, BCC’s business development officer Mr Kholisani Moyo said council wants to have a sustainable and reliable water system and recycling of the idle Khami Dam water was one such initiative.
“Utilising Khami water for hydro-power station is a concept that came out after we interrogated potential uses of recycled Khami water and we realised that we can use this water to generate energy through the construction of a mini-hydro power station, so this is the city’s plan of fully maximising Khami water instead of focusing on just one use.
“We can also generate biogas from the same source and for now, we are still consulting and engaging to see the best option that we can take as council in utilising Khami water but yes, some of the options include having a hydro-power station and recycling that water for irrigation of agricultural projects as well as for industrial use,” said Mr Moyo.
“If we recycle Khami Dam water and channel it towards the power station, water from our supply dams will be enough to meet the city’s domestic needs.”
He said council has already allocated land for investors to set up solar farms to augment the city’s energy supplies.
“This project has been given to big companies although at the moment I don’t have that list, but as I said, they are big companies,” he sa”We have more people still in various stages of acquiring land for this purpose, others are actually interested in setting up these solar farms in closed down cemeteries so all these are innovative ways that the city is considering.”
As part of the smart cities concept, council also wants to modernise old suburbs like Makokoba, Mzilikazi, Njube and it has started reaching out to potential partners.
Mr Moyo said BCC wants to change the face of its old suburbs by building high-rise apartments, demolishing squatter camps, and building smart villas that rely on clean energy.
He said they have also come up with a site plan for industrial development.
“We also have other projects like modernising our old suburbs like Makokoba, Mzilikazi among others. For Makokoba we have what we call regeneration of Makokoba where we are planning to build new high-rise buildings so as to utilise fully, the limited land there. Squatter camps will be a thing of the past as we shall build smart villas. We have established a site plan for industrial development as well as upgrading all our football stadia to world-class standards. We have already advertised to potential partners to come up with concepts on how to modernise these suburbs as well as our vending markets so that our vendors are not susceptible to health hazards and structures are of world-class level,” said Mr Moyo.
The city is exhibiting under the theme; “Managing disruptive change, and innovation for economic development,” which is in sync with the main ZITF theme.
Bulawayo Provincial Affairs Minister Judith Ncube was the first high-ranking Government official to tour the BCC stand yesterday.
She was charmed by the city’s plans.
“Makokoba is an old suburb, we want to have proper structures and if it means building those high-rise residential buildings, let us have that to ensure accommodation security even for future generations.
“As it is, our children and grandchildren do not have accommodation, but if we invest in these flats as explained by council officials here, all these challenges can be averted. We want the City of Bulawayo to be a state-of-the-art city,” said Minister Ncube..
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