Bulawayo water woes worsen

Bulawayo's water problems are likely to worsen by the end of next month as three dams which have been supplying water have run dry and will be decommissioned leaving the city to depend on only two dams.

The three dams Upper Ncema, Lower Ncema and Mzingwane have run dry. The city will now get water supplies from Inyankuni and Insiza dams.

Bulawayo Mayor, Councillor Thaba Moyo says the city has to manage with the water from the two supply dams until the next rainy season adding that water challenges have become a perennial challenge for the city as they have the same challenge of water supplies every year.

"We will be decommissioning three supply dams for the city of Bulawayo and we will have to cope with water from the remaining two dams. We will increase the demand management systems and hopefully we will cope," said Moyo.

Councillor Moyo urged government to expedite the link between Mtshabezi and Mzingwane dams as this will ease the water woes which have bedevilled Bulawayo residents for years.

Though the city has been grappling with acute water shortages, it says it has put in place enough measures to ensure the continuous supply of water treatment chemicals ahead of the pull out by UNICEF this Saturday.

Bulawayo's supply dams, which are all located in the drought-prone Matabeleland South province, quickly dry up due to very low rainfall patterns, resulting in the local authority's introduction of a stringent water rationing exercise.