Bulawayo councillors have proposed that the city explore drilling deeper boreholes as a solution to the ongoing water crisis.
This recommendation follows consultations with various water experts, who noted that the city’s water sources are relatively shallow compared to those in other countries.
Despite the onset of the rainy season in Matabeleland, water levels in Bulawayo’s dams remain critically low, exacerbating the water shortages faced by residents. Although the rainy season began in October, the city’s supply dams have not yet received significant inflows to alleviate the crisis.
Most of Bulawayo’s supply dams are located in Matabeleland South, a region that experiences limited rainfall and is prone to drought.
In response to the ongoing challenges, the city council is actively seeking alternative solutions to address the long-standing water shortage.
During the most recent Full Council Meeting held last Wednesday, Ward 25 Councillor Aleck Ndlovu highlighted the potential benefits of drilling deeper boreholes.
He said that the water experts consulted by the local authority have pointed out that the city’s current water sources are shallower than those found in other countries, which could be contributing to the crisis.
“I propose that we ponder on what the water experts we have engaged have said to us. Almost all of them have told us that the water sources we have, in other countries are referred to as shallow wells. In other countries, where technology is more advanced, they drill boreholes that go as far as 2km deep. But ours are far from that,” Ndlovu said.
In Bulawayo, most boreholes range between 60 metres and 200 metres deep, but the city has been considering to drill deeper to 2 000 metres.
“We need to rethink our strategy, at least look for funding or partner with well wishers and drill our boreholes deeper. We already have a significant number of existing boreholes, we just need to deepen them and install suitable water pumping equipment so that it can augment our water supply,” said the councillor.
Cllr Ndlovu bemoaned the gloomy picture of the dam situations with very low water levels.
“The level of our water sources is so low, the picture is so gloomy. Despite the rainy season having kicked in, we haven’t received any significant inflows into our supply dams yet. In a normal season at this time of the year we would have received some inflows into our dams. We are now in the first week of December and the situation is still dire,” he said.
“I propose that we ponder on what the water experts we engaged said to us. Almost all of them have told us that the water sources we have, in other countries are referred to as shallow wells.”
Ward 29 Cllr Roy Sekete, who sits on the Future Water Supplies and Water Action Committee, welcomed the suggestion, citing the water situation needs ‘all hands on deck.’
Sekete encouraged councillors to play a pivotal role in advocating for and seeking funds to turn around the water crisis.
