Bulawayo water supplies set to improve in five months

BULAWAYO water supplies will improve in five months when the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) concludes the Epping Forest Project.

The project will see water supplies to the city increasing by an additional 10 mega litres daily.

Bulawayo needs about 135 mega litres a day but is getting an average of 90 mega litres per day.

Zinwa Gwayi catchment manager Engineer Chengeto Gozo said the Epping Forest Project contractor is now on site.

"This project is part of the greater Nyamandlovu aquifer water supply managed by Zinwa. Currently we are getting insufficient water from Rochester Farm in Nyamandlovu for Bulawayo amid the current water crisis," he said.

Eng Gozo said the completion of the project would alleviate the water crisis given that the other alternative sources of water for Bulawayo were drying up.

"When plans were made to expand the project from Rochester to Epping Forest Farm, our challenge was funding. We discussed with the city of Bulawayo and they agreed to fund it," he said.

Eng Gozo said the project was divided into two segments, Slot A which involves the setting up of pumps and Slot B where they would drill boreholes.

"The project is supposed to take six months and we expect to complete the project in the next five months. We are getting into the second month of the project and when we complete the two phases we will then start drawing water from the boreholes to a station and then to the city of Bulawayo reservoirs," said Eng Gozo.

Last year in April, Council Director of Engineering Services Engineer Simela Dube said the Epping Forest Project needed an estimated $4 million to complete.

"Council had passed a resolution and agreed to partner government through Zinwa and contribute towards the cost of implementing this project.

Letters have been written to the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing to facilitate the project," Eng Dube said.
Bulawayo councillors on Thursday rejected a revised 72-hour water shedding schedule which was announced on Monday, saying council management implemented it without their input.