The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) is only pumping 50 mega litres of water a day due to power outages resulting in residents going for weeks without water.
In a statement, the Town Clerk Christopher Dube said the city has been experiencing “daily power cuts since 1st week of March, with some lasting over 24 hours, severely impacting the City’s ability to pump water.”
He said this has put a significant strain on the high-placed suburbs, and the local authority has been forced to implement several measures to alleviate the crisis
“As a result, Bulawayo continues to face a severe water crisis, with the six supply dams only at 59.23% capacity as of Wednesday, 22 March 2023. Of particular concern is the Umzingwane Dam, which is only at 17% capacity and is expected to be decommissioned again in August 2023. This coupled with power outages and water shortages, has resulted in the city managing daily water restoration programmes since mid-November 2022,” said Dube.
He said to mitigate the situation, the City has been gradually building raw water reservoir stocks at the criterion’s 1,400 megalitres reservoir, with plans to reintroduce the 72-hour water shedding programme.
Dube said one of the measures to try and alleviate the situation, includes reactivating the water crisis committee and welcoming well-wishers to participate in any way possible to alleviate the crisis.
“The city also hiring additional water trucks to deliver water to high-lying areas such as Nkulumane, Emganwini, Pumula, Magwegwe, and Entumbane, and also using the existing infrastructure such as water kiosks strategically located throughout the City.”
Dube called on the donor community to assist with funding and in-kind donations of materials to repair and rehabilitate hand pumps, as well as procuring 20-litre water containers for residents, particularly those in high-lying areas.
“Schools and clinics with functional boreholes and elevated tanks are encouraged to optimize these resources for the benefit of students and parents, and to add additional access water points accessible from outside the school’s boundaries,” he said.
Dube urged residents are urged to avoid using unprotected wells and other water sources and to boil all water, whether from a borehole, water kiosk, water Bowser, or water tap adding that public health and hygiene practices must continue to be upheld, despite the dire situation.
“The city of Bulawayo is doing everything possible to mitigate the water crisis, and we urge residents, the corporate world, councillors, and policymakers to join hands in this effort. It is only through collective action that can ensure a sustainable and reliable water supply for all,” he said.
