Water shortages loom in Bulawayo

Bulawayo residents should brace for a crippling fresh round of water shortages  as the local authority  is struggling to procure key treatment chemicals.

The MDC-T run council is  now engaging the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to come to their rescue as all the water treatment chemicals are sourced from outside the country.

The local authority's spokesperson, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu, confirmed the latest developments adding that they hope the Apex Bank will prioritise local authorities in the allocation of foreign currency.

"Bulawayo City Council is engaging the Central Government with the hope that suppliers of water treatment chemicals, contracted to the City of Bulawayo, be given top priority in the allocation of foreign currency by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.

"Basically all water treatment chemicals are purchased from outside the country. The main challenge is in the acquisition of Aluminium Sulphate, Chlorine gas and Calcium Hypochlorite," said Mpofu as recorded by Sunday News.

This is not the first time the local authority has faced a chemical shortage, a couple of years ago the city also endured an acute shortage of water treatment chemicals that resulted in a cessation of purification of water at its Criterion Water Works.

Late last year the council was forced to introduce a 72-hour water shedding schedule to conserve dwindling water supplies, which had seen supply dams standing at a combined 30 percent full.

However, the city has received significant inflows into its supply dams with all but one of the dams reaching full capacity.