News / Local
Council suspends water rationing for ZITF
23 Apr 2013 at 04:04hrs | Views
THE Bulawayo City Council on Monday announced it had suspended its water rationing regime for a week, covering the 54th Zimbabwe International Trade Fair which gets underway on Tuesday and ends on Saturday.
Bulawayo residents have lived under a three-day-a-week water shedding schedule for the last four months as the city grapples with a water supply crisis.
But council bosses have decided to keep the taps running as the city prepares to host thousands of visitors and exhibitors from around the world.
Simela Dube, the director of engineering services, told the Zimbabwe Water Resources and Infrastructure Investment Summit being held at the ZITF exhibition centre on Monday that the uninterrupted water supply which started last Saturday will run for seven days.
"The council has decided to shelve water cuts to facilitate smooth holding of the premier trade showcase and cater for the thousands of visitors who have come to the city for the fair," said Dube.
The council was reaching out to the private sector to help rehabilitate water infrastructure, said Dube, as he revealed that they were losing an average US$7,4 million in potential revenue annually due to facilities which were not fit for purpose.
"We are looking for private players to finance a complete rehabilitation of our system to reduce pressure because a cost benefit analysis has shown that money used in the project can be recouped in five years," he said.
The city's water and waste master plan, he added, required the upgrading of the water infrastructure to reduce pipe bursts.
Bulawayo residents have lived under a three-day-a-week water shedding schedule for the last four months as the city grapples with a water supply crisis.
But council bosses have decided to keep the taps running as the city prepares to host thousands of visitors and exhibitors from around the world.
Simela Dube, the director of engineering services, told the Zimbabwe Water Resources and Infrastructure Investment Summit being held at the ZITF exhibition centre on Monday that the uninterrupted water supply which started last Saturday will run for seven days.
"The council has decided to shelve water cuts to facilitate smooth holding of the premier trade showcase and cater for the thousands of visitors who have come to the city for the fair," said Dube.
The council was reaching out to the private sector to help rehabilitate water infrastructure, said Dube, as he revealed that they were losing an average US$7,4 million in potential revenue annually due to facilities which were not fit for purpose.
"We are looking for private players to finance a complete rehabilitation of our system to reduce pressure because a cost benefit analysis has shown that money used in the project can be recouped in five years," he said.
The city's water and waste master plan, he added, required the upgrading of the water infrastructure to reduce pipe bursts.
Source - news
