Verdict: Misleading
Source: A national newspaper wrote a story on May,3, with the headline โ Half of Bulawayo water lost before reaching residentsโ
https://www.sundaynews.co.zw/half-of-bulawayo-water-lost-before-reaching-residents/ย ย
According to the article, the cityย is losing almost half of its water along its antiquated piping system before it reaches end users, further exacerbating the cityโs water availability which has already seen most suburbs going for five days per week without the precious liquid.
According to Bulawayo City Council (BCC) senior Public relations Officer, Nesisa Mpofu the city loses 40 percent and not 50 percent of its treated water as the headline suggests.
โAccording to the Cityโs last study of non-revenue water which is done annually, we noted that the City is losing 40 percent of water through various means,โ said Mpofu.
โA total of 31 percent is lost through damaged infrastructure which we clarify as physical losses. The other 9 percent is lost through what we call commercial losses and this would be looking as aspects of billing, where at times estimations are made or these are inaccurate meter reading or through damaged meters.โ
BCC Senior Public Relations Officer Nesisa Mpofu
Mpofu said the local authority is currently working on the Bulawayo Water and Sewerage Services project which will see mains renewals, domestic meter replacement and attending to ageing infrastructure.
โThe City has however been working on the Bulawayo water and sewage services project to attend to non-revenue water challenges through the water mains upgrading. Mains renewal and bulk and domestic meter replacement project.
โThe project will attend to physical losses by attending to the aged infrastructure and also address the commercial losses by undertaking the replacement of meters which is currently ongoing,โ said Mpofu.
Background:ย Bulawayo residents are currentlyย enduringย 144-hourย weekly water shedding. Theย City now relies on three major supply dams as the local authorityย decommissioned the Lowerย Ncemaย dam, last month.ย
Some residents in western suburbs such as Pumula have reportedly resorted to sewage water for some household usage such as flushing toilets.