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BY NQOBANI NDLOVU
BULAWAYO – Cities and towns in Matabeleland and Midlands regions are facing serious water shortages owing to dwindling water levels in dams and collapsing water treatment infrastructure.
A snap survey by The Standard last week established that Bulawayo, Gweru, Gwanda and Zvishavane are among the hardest hit.
Gweru has, for the past fortnight, been without enough running water following the breakdown of four of its six water pumps at Gwenoro water purification site, sparking fears of water-borne diseases like cholera and dysentery.
As a result of the breakdown, Gweru has been dependent on two pumps which only supplies 25% of the city’s water daily requirements.
Gweru mayor Tedius Tshuma last week said the city required nearly US$1,6 million to rehabilitate the 57-year-old collapsing infrastructure at the Gwenoro water purification site.
“The only solution is for us to get nearly US$1,6 million to refurbish and replace the old water treatment infrastructure which was installed in 1955,” said Tshuma.
“Regular repairs will not solve anything as the pumps which are now old will keep breaking down.”
In Gwanda, the provincial capital of Matabeleland South, water shortages have been attributed to squabbles between the local authority and the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) over water management and control of pumps.
The council has accused Zinwa of refusing to let go of water treatment pumps despite a government directive to do so.
Gwanda mayor, Lionel De Necker, said Zinwa has “for the past weeks been deliberately supplying the city with half of the water” they required on a daily basis.
De Necker said Zinwa was only pumping water for nine hours instead of the agreed 18 hours per day saying that it did not have sufficient funds to pay its workers for double shifts.
“Zinwa says it has financial challenges and does not have money to pay its workers to do overtime shifts,” said De Necker.
“But what we are saying as council is that whatever problems Zinwa might have they should not be transferred to the community. The community should not suffer because Zinwa is also facing problems.”
He said the only practical solution was for Zinwa to hand over water management systems to the council. Attempts to get a comment from Zinwa officials in Matabeleland South were fruitless last week.
Byo to decomission dams
Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe (Ucaz) president Femias Chakabuda, who is also the mayor for Masvingo, said urban councils were unhappy with the provision of water by central government through Zinwa.
Bulawayo City council (BCC), which is also facing water problems, plans to decommission Umzingwane dam in February due to low water levels. The dam is one of the five that supply water to the city.
There are also plans to decommission two more dams, Upper Ncema and Inyankuni.
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