Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has issued a statement encouraging residents to participate in the Big Flush. Below is the statement:
The City of Bulawayo is encouraging members of the public to assist in a scheduled synchronized programme of flushing their lavatories in a bid to unclog the sewer System
The City is currently implementing a 72 hour water shedding programme in most residential areas which has reduced the amount of water going through the sewer system and resultantly causing sewer chokes.
In a bid to reduce the number of sewer bursts in most residential areas due to clogged sewers, Council is calling upon all residents to synchronise their flushing between 06:00 hours to 06:30 hours in the morning and between 20:00 hours and 20:30 hours in the evening.
Residents can throughout the day flush as normal. The Big Flush is done at those specified times to move the sewer waste towards the waste water treatment works and also inject the much needed water into the sewer system.
All residents of Bulawayo are invited and expected to participate in this exercise. Every household is requested to flush their toilets systematically after the 72 hour water shedding.
This is done to prevent any sewer blockages due to longer periods without water in the reticulation system. Due to limited water availability, there is insufficient sewage flows in the system for it to clean itself.
The sewer system is designed in a manner that allows for it to discharge and clean itself during peak flows in the morning when residents are flushing or bathing. Please note that this is in addition to the normal flushing that will occur during the day.
Consumers are kindly requested to continue conserve water in order to minimize the impact.
