BULAWAYO City Council has resolved to maintain the current water shedding schedule despite the city’s supply dams holding about 64% of their combined capacity, as councillors warn that predicted El Niño conditions could trigger a severe drought.
Ward 25 councillor Aleck Ndlovu said the city should not become complacent about its current water situation and urged authorities to use scientific forecasts to guide their decisions as they prepare for potentially poor rainfall.
His comments came as the council resolved to retain the existing water shedding programme, with the city continuing to rely on water conservation measures to manage supplies.
Bulawayo has previously experienced prolonged water shortages caused by inadequate inflows into its supply dams.
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Ndlovu said the city needed to take El Niño forecasts seriously and use information from the Meteorological Services Department to guide its water management decisions.
“El Niño that is looming, we cannot take this lightly. We need to be guided by science, looking at the reports from the Meteorological Services Department and take appropriate action,” he said.
According to the latest water outlook presented to council, the city’s combined water storage levels stood at about 64%, which Ndlovu described as satisfactory.
He said the relatively healthy dam levels could justify lifting water shedding, but acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the coming rainfall season.
“According to the future water report, our combined storage capacity is sitting at around 64 percent, which is quite satisfactory, and we should lift the water shedding,” Ndlovu said.
“I want to commend this department for being cautious regarding the relaxation of these restrictions. The rain pattern that will prevail is unpredictable. If the predicted El Niño hits, we will be in serious trouble.”
Mayor David Coltart, however, warned against relaxing the current water shedding programme, saying the city needed to prepare residents for the possibility of a severe drought before water supplies deteriorated.
He urged the Town Clerk to work with the council’s communications team to intensify public awareness about the potential impact of the forecast climate conditions.
“Internationally, everyone is warning about El Niño. There are reports stating that this is going to be the worst El Niño since 1950 and we do need to start preparing residents for that. We have a responsibility as a city to do so,” Coltart said.
He said the council should plan on the assumption that the city could receive minimal inflows into its dams if rainfall is poor.
“It would be irresponsible for us in any way to consider making any changes to the current water shedding programme because we have to assume that we may have minimal inflow as a result of low rainfall,” he said.
Council said public awareness would be critical in ensuring residents understood the need for continued water conservation as the city prepared for an uncertain rainfall season.
The warning comes amid concerns that El Niño could worsen drought conditions in parts of Southern Africa, with potential implications for water supplies, agriculture and food security.
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