Byo water crisis worsens…council reconstitutes water crisis committee

22 Mar, 2023 - 15:03 0 Views
Byo water crisis worsens…council reconstitutes water crisis committee Mr Christopher Dube

The Sunday News

Vusumuzi Dube, Online News Editor

THE Bulawayo City Council has raised a red flag pertaining its water situation with the city revealing that power outages have seen the system output volume dropping by over 50 percent from 120 megalitres a day to between 40 to 50 megalitres a day.

This has seen the local authority reconstituting its water crisis committee as well as hiring additional water trucks to deliver water to high-lying areas.

In a statement, the city’s Town Clerk, Mr Christopher Dube said the drop in the daily system output volume has had a significant strain on the high-placed suburbs, and the city has been forced to implement several measures to alleviate the crisis.

Mr Dube revealed that the local authority is currently only receiving 8 – 10 hours of power supply a day, resulting in a drop from the early March 2023 system input volume

As of Wednesday the city’s supply dams are at 59,2 percent capacity.

“To mitigate the situation, the City has been gradually building raw water reservoir stocks at the Criterion’s 1 400 megalitre reservoir, with plans to reintroduce the 72-hour water shedding programme. However, the City has been experiencing daily power cuts since the first week of March, with some lasting over 24 hours, severely impacting the city’s ability to pump water.

“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 is 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,” said Mr Dube.

The Town Clerk revealed that of particular concern is Umzingwane dam, which is only at 17 percent capacity and is expected to be decommissioned again in August 2023.

Mr Dube further revealed that the local authority is now calling 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-liter water containers for residents, particularly those in high-placed suburbs.

“Schools and clinics with functional boreholes and elevated tanks are encouraged to optimize these resources for the benefit of students and patients, and to add additional access water points accessible from outside the school’s boundaries.

“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. Despite the dire situation, public health and hygiene practices must continue to be upheld,” he said.

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