The Sunday News
Vusumuzi Dube, Senior Municipal Reporter
THE Bulawayo City Council has started constructing water kiosks in the city’s high-density suburbs, a move expected to ease water shortages.
This comes after the local authority received donations of equipment for 10 out of the 25 identified kiosks. Water kiosks are 15 000-litre Jojo tanks which would be constantly supplied by water bowsers feeding mainly high lying areas which may go up to the next rainy season without any water supplies. Residents would not be asked to pay for the water from the kiosks.
Bulawayo residents are enduring a six-day water rationing schedule as the city tries to stretch the available water supplies.
Responding to e-mailed questions, the local authority’s senior public relations officer, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu, said council has received donations of materials for the initial 10 kiosks from Danish Church Aid and Vitens Evides International.
“The City of Bulawayo has received donated materials for the water kiosks from Danish Church Aid (six) and Vitens Evides International (four). Currently all 10 sites have been pegged and fabrication of tank stands is now six out of 10 kiosks. One of the kiosks has already been installed. The city is working hard to finalise these as soon as possible and our teams are working even during weekends,” said Mrs Mpofu.
Meanwhile, the council spokesperson revealed that despite the 144-hour water shedding schedule introduced by the local authority consumption remained high with a need for residents to adopt water conservation measures.
“A total of 15 more boreholes rehabilitated at Rochester (Nyamandlovu) are now giving an additional average six mega litres a day which should assist in stabilising demand to the Magwegwe Reservoir. Umzingwane, Upper Ncema and Lower Ncema supply dams remain decommissioned,” she said.
According to the latest statistics as supplied by the local authority, the dams now stand at 28,9 percent full. Mtshabezi which has a capacity of 51 996 000 cubic metres is 45,7 percent full, Inyankuni, which has a carrying capacity of 80 781 000 cubic metres is 46,44 percent full and Insiza Mayfair, with a carrying capacity of 173 491 000 cubic metres is 31,91 percent full.
Lower Ncema which has a carrying capacity of 18 237 700 cubic metres is 5,98 percent full, Umzingwane, with a carrying capacity of 44 663 500 cubic metres is 3,05 percent full while Upper Ncema which has a carrying capacity of 45 458 500 cubic metres is two percent full.
