adminFeature, Tinomuda Chakanyuka
WHILE most cities, towns and growth-points across the country are facing serious water challenges, Lupane town in Matabeleland North Province has a different tale to tell.
Lupane, the provincial capital, has more than adequate supplies of water, thanks to the water treatment plant that started operating in September this year. With the town’s supply dam, Bubi-Lupane, at an estimated 65 percent capacity, residents can be rest assured that water supply will not be part of their problems for a long time.
At present abstraction rate, the raw water reserves in the water body are expected to last the town until 2020.
Previously, the town epitomised water crisis with residents relying on boreholes drilled by the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) over the years.
However because Lupane, which is in the natural climatic region five, receives below average rainfall most of the boreholes would quickly dry up.
The boreholes which would also intermittently break down did not make life any better for Lupane residents, who would be forced to buy water.
Lupane’s water woes are however, now history as Zinwa, the country’s water authority, is now supplying clean water to the town, courtesy of a new water treatment plant which draws water from Bubi-Lupane dam.
According to Zinwa, the water treatment plant is able to churn out 240 cubic metres of water per hour but is operating at half the capacity, yet able to meet the town’s demand for water.
The availability of water in the town has changed the narrative for the small town which now looks at attracting investors as it aims for expansion.
“Water is life” is an old maxim that is perhaps better understood and whose meaning is well appreciated by Lupane residents.
The town had always been sitting on a ticking health time bomb which Zinwa has since diffused.
Lupane Residents and Rate Payers Association chairperson Mr Christopher Mazibisa who is a businessman said the availability of water ushered in new prospects for the small town.
“It was always difficult to run a business in a town that did not have water, but now things have changed. Now we are telling a different story altogether. Imagine those that are in construction and how they have had to cope with the water shortages. It was horror. Imagine schools and other public institutions,” he said.
Mr Siziba said with the water situation having improved the town was now ripe to lure investors.
“A lot of businesspeople were interested in investing in the town but water shortages often scared them off. Now that the water situation has improved we are confident that more investors will be interested in our town,” he said.
A resident of Lupane, Mrs Doreen Mpunzi recalls how she would spend much of her day fetching water for daily use for her family and how the situation has improved now. Women bore the brunt of the water crisis as it is them who were expected to fetch water, sometimes using buckets which they would carry on their heads.
“We used to travel several kilometers to go and fetch water because most of the time the boreholes will be down. The situation has now improved because we now have adequate water coming out of our taps.”
Demand for water in Lupane has increased with the relocation of the Lupane State University (LSU) management and a section of students this year. As the institution grows in student and staff population, the demand for the precious liquid is also expected to increase and the intervention by Government through Zinwa could never have been timelier.
LSU vice chancellor Professor Pardon Kuipa told Sunday News how the availability of clean tapped water had helped the institution in its plans to relocate from Bulawayo to Lupane. Lupane University had drilled one borehole to cater for its staff and students who stay on campus and plans were afoot to drill more boreholes as the population at the institution increased.
The nature of boreholes in Lupane is such that almost all of them are not less than 60 meters deep and for one to have any reasonable water yields boreholes have to be sunk to levels which are beyond 60 metres.
“Drilling anything beyond 60 meters is very costly. So boreholes would cost between $45 000 and $60 000 and we had drilled one such borehole but because of the population that we were planning to bring to Lupane we are of the opinion that we needed three boreholes.
“But those plans have been put aside for now because of the development that happened where there is now abundant availability of treated water from Zinwa. I think we are now relieved and what it means is that resources that we should have channeled towards drilling of a second and third borehole can now be channeled towards teaching and learning processes,” he said.
Zinwa-Gwayi catchment area manager Engineer Chengeto Gozo said the water treatment plant was the lasting solution for the town’s water woes. He said with such infrastructure in place, Lupane was ready for growth.
“I can safely say Lupane’s water problems have ended. The Bubi-Lupane Dam and this water treatment plant have put all those problems to rest and Lupane is now ready for growth. The treatment plant has the capacity to contain population growth in the town and we are actually anticipating such a development,” he said.
Mr Gozo encouraged residents and even some villagers surrounding the town to approach Zinwa and have their properties connected to the town’s water supply system and have access to clean water.
Lupane town is 170 kilometres south of Bulawayo and attained town status in 2007. According to the latest population census figures, Lupane district has about 100 161 people.
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