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Bulawayo to decommission 2 dams within the next 2 months

by Staff reporter
23 May 2012 at 04:19hrs | Views
TWO Bulawayo supply dams are likely to be decommissioned within the next two months.

Another supply dam, Upper Ncema Dam was decommissioned in March.

The development comes amid reports that the city's supply dams are holding 48,47 percent of the collective capacity of 175 770 485 cubic metres,  a figure which is about five percent lower than what they held when council announced a water shedding schedule in 2010.

As of 27 March 2012, the five supplying dams, Insiza, Umzingwane, Lower Ncema, Inyankuni and Upper Ncema, which was decommissioned in March, were holding about 50,2 percent.

In an interview yesterday, the Bulawayo City Council senior public relations officer, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu, said Umzingwane Dam and Lower Ncema Dam were expected to be decommissioned by the end of July or early August.

She said Insiza Dam is 83,9 percent full, Inyankuni 16,9 percent, Lower Ncema and Umzingwane dams are 55,42 and 11,8 percent.

"The city's water supply dam levels are getting low due to below normal rainfall experienced. Upper Ncema Dam was decommissioned in March this year and Umzingwane and Lower Ncema Dams are expected to be decommissioned by the end of July or early August," said Mrs Mpofu.

"The water levels in the supply dams are rapidly falling and are currently at 48,47 percent."

Mrs Mpofu said the water-rationing scheme was still in force and appealed to the residents to use the water sparingly.

"The 2012 water rationing scheme for domestic consumers is still in force as the city's average water consumption is currently 135 000 cubic metres a day, which is way above the target water consumption of 120 000 cubic metres per day," she said.

"The city council is therefore appealing to consumers to use water sparingly and conserve it so that it can last up to the next rainy season."

She said the council might be forced to impose the water shedding programme if the water consumption remained high.

"Should water consumption continue to remain high, council is most likely to consider taking more drastic action such as imposition of water shedding programme," said Mrs Mpofu.

Source - chronicle
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