Cash-strapped Bulawayo City Council (BCC) is struggling to maintain its parks dotted around the city which are now in a bad condition.
The city has eight established parks: Central, Centenary, Nketa/ Mpopoma, Luveve, Nketa 6, Nketa 7, Inkanyezi and Connaught/ Gertrude Parks.
Three parks are located in the eastern areas while five are in the western areas.
Speaking during a BCC Service Delivery Update for the first and second quarter of 2022 Director of Housing and Community Services Department, Dictor Khumalo said all the parks have similar challenges of water for irrigation.
“Three-quarters of the Central park has lawn and flowers whilst a quarter is dry because water cannot reach the whole area,” said Khumalo.
“This park has two working boreholes and two reservoirs for recycled water. Centenary Park has three boreholes, which need equipping and flashing, a well and a reservoir that needs renovation. In this park, there is no borehole that is working and there is no recycled water reaching the park. The park has no irrigation water whether underground or recycled. The underground pipes are all rotten and need replacement. Central and centenary are generally dry parks with minimum lawn and flowers. The dry grass and trees are maintained.”
All the parks need water, especially boreholes for a green environment.
Khumalo added they were seeking a continuation of partnerships with various stake-holders, to drill and equip boreholes in all parks and provide modern irrigation systems.
