Vusumuzi Dube, Senior Municipal Reporter
ONLY two supply dams in Bulawayo face being decommissioned this year with the local authority however, still struggling to provide adequate supplies without the need for water shedding.
The city is going through a 72-hour water shedding schedule with the Bulawayo City Council claiming they were facing power challenges in their major water treatment plants.
According to the latest council report, only two major supply dams- Lower Ncema and Umzingwane- could be decommissioned by the end of this year as they risk depletion.
Lower Ncema’s depletion date has been set for 24 September while Umzingwane is estimated to have depleted by 31 December.
“Lower Ncema normally depleted later than indicated as Upper Ncema had been used as a recharge source for it. The present figures were the current obtaining figures as at date of preparation of this report prior to the opening of Upper Ncema to recharge Lower Ncema,” reads the report.
Upper Ncema is estimated to have depleted by 21 January 2023, Mtshabezi; 7 November 2023, Insiza Mayfair; 24 January 2024 and Inyankuni is set to deplete by 14 August 2025.