By Ndumiso Tshuma
Bulawayo city councillors have raised alarm over the worsening water crisis in the city, criticising the lack of practical solutions from the committee tasked with managing future water supplies.
Residents in most parts of the city have gone for over two weeks without water supplies.
During a full council meeting on Wednesday at City Hall, several councillors expressed frustration with the Future Water Supplies and Water Action Committee, accusing it of focusing too heavily on technical data rather than addressing residentsโ immediate needs.
Ward 22 Councillor Bruce Moyo said residents were growing increasingly impatient as water supplies remained erratic in many suburbs.
โI noticed not much has been done in terms of providing practical solutions to the problem of delivering water to the residents of Bulawayo,โ he said. โIn areas like Nkulumane and Nketa, people have gone without water for two weeks.โ
Moyo warned that continued inaction could erode public trust, particularly as the city moves forward with plans to establish a water utility.
โTo residents, it seems like the council is always giving excuses. Thereโs a perception that the crisis is being manufactured to justify a water utility agenda,โ he added.
He urged the committee to propose short-term interventions while working on long-term strategies, noting that council engineers must be guided to anticipate and prevent disruptions before they happen.
Ward 3 Councillor Mxolisi Mhlangu said the root of the problem lay in limited resources, stressing that water provision remains a national responsibility under the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA).
โFuture Water is hamstrung by the same issue facing the rest of council, lack of resources,โ he said. โTheir mandate should be to advise council on alternative sources such as aquifers and act as a liaison with government.โ
He noted that plans such as tapping the Nyamandlovu aquifers and drilling 400 boreholes had been discussed extensively, but failed to progress due to funding shortfalls.
โThe focus must now be on securing the money needed to develop these water sources,โ Mhlangu added.
Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart said the cityโs core problem was not a lack of water, but outdated infrastructure and water loss.
โBulawayo does not have a water shortage per se. With proper technology and funding, we could harness what we have,โ he said.
He cited a 40% loss in non-revenue water, treated water lost before it reaches consumers, as a major concern.
โWe need to address our reticulation system and invest in recycling. Cities like London recycle water up to 20 times, we should be exploring similar technologies.โ
Coltart also pointed to poor catchment area management as a factor behind low dam levels, despite recent good rains. He said projects such as Glass Block and the long-awaited Shangani River pipeline were progressing.
โWe have heard from experts, including those from Botswana, that thereโs an abundance of underground water. What we need is better drilling technology and larger-diameter boreholes.โ
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