Residents challenge BCC on water shedding

BULAWAYO residents have challenged the city council to urgently implement the pumping of water from the Nyamandlovu Aquifer saying the current water shedding was wasteful and would soon lead to water-borne diseases.

The Minister of Water Resources Development and Management, Samuel Sipepa Nkomo, told stakeholders and donors on Friday that Bulawayo had found investors to fund a project that is set to increase the pumping of water at Nyamandlovu Aquifer from 5 000 to about 30 000 cubic metres a day.

Speaking in separate interviews, residents randomly drawn from across the city said they were tired of empty promises and uncompleted water projects.

They said they were now keeping large volumes of water in drums during water shedding and feared disease outbreaks.

"We have been told several times that something is being done to solve the water situation in the city but nothing has materialised. We will only believe when they start drawing water from the aquifer or when the projects are practically implemented," said Mrs Sihle Masuku of Nkulumane 12.

Another resident, Mr Majaha Nare from Entumbane said: "Our situation is now similar to that in rural life. We have to get water from boreholes and store it in drums, which is not healthy. All we want to hear is that the aquifer is now working than just telling us their plans. Their timetable for water shedding is confusing and people will always hoard water."

The residents urged the city fathers to be pro-active adding that Nyamandlovu Aquifer could have been roped in long back.

In separate interviews, representatives of residents castigated the water shedding timetable.

Bulawayo Residents Association chairperson Mr Winos Dube said the council was losing more water due to water shedding than it would if there was a clear-cut timetable.

He lambasted the council for failing to repair boreholes in Nyamandlovu adding that people wanted action and not promises.

"The timetable is confusing and people do not know when water would be cut off or restored. This is why people keep drums full of water, which they later throw away because they are not sure of its safety after keeping it for days. This is a big wastage and would cost the council large volumes if not addressed as a matter of urgency," he said.

He urged the council to embark on a water safety campaign.

Mr Dube said harnessing water from Nyamandlovu Aquifer was long overdue.
"Everyone knew that the water situation would be critical and one wonders why the council would wait until this time to start thinking about Nyamandlovu. We have heard that boreholes are broken down but wondered why nothing was being done. It is very difficult for us as residents to know what is happening but what we want is to see things happen rather than being talked about," he said.

"Those willing to help the city out of the water crisis should do so and those who cannot should just keep quiet. All we want is to hear that the Nyamandlovu Aquifer has come to the rescue of the city than be told that plans are underway to draw water from there. Surely if there was willingness by our leaders even the Mtshabezi pipeline would have been completed long back."

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association Coordinator Mr Roderick Fayayo said although they welcomed pumping of water from Nyamandlovu Aquifer, residents were worried about the timetable.

"It is important that finally they are starting to do something because we had expected this long back. The challenge is that the council is not sticking to the publicised timetable which is now affecting residents instead of being a water-saving measure.

"More than five wards last week were without water from Monday to Thursday which is not healthy. As residents we now need every drop and we welcome pumping of water from Nyamandlovu but that should be done as a matter of urgency," he said.

Minister Sipepa Nkomo, who has maintained that the Bulawayo water situation did not qualify the city to be declared a critical water shortage area, said the gravity of the water situation in the city had compelled him to brief Acting President Joice Mujuru and he would tomorrow brief Cabinet on the issue.

AusAid, GIZ and World Vision are among the donors who have offered to fund water projects and save the city.

City engineers are expected to go on the ground today and establish how much would be needed to construct an extra reservoir either at Nyamandlovu or Cowdray Park where the water is pumped to before distribution.

The council is also pressurised to reach an agreement with Zesa to stop load shedding in Cowdray Park so that water could be pumped 24 hours a day from the aquifer.

Minister Sipepa Nkomo said progress at Mtshabezi Dam was satisfactory adding that pumping was expected in two weeks' time and a generator would be used to provide power until electricity was connected.

The local authority is hopeful harnessing water from the Nyamandlovu Aquifer was likely to reduce water shedding from the present 72 hours to 48.

In a bid to stretch supplies to the next rainy season, Bulawayo introduced a 48-hour weekly water shedding schedule for all suburbs on 27 July.

Last week, the hours were increased to 72 hours a week while some suburbs went for four days without water as supplies in the dams continued to dwindle.

Two of the five supply dams -Upper Ncema and Umzingwane - have been decommissioned.

Lower Ncema and Inyankuni are likely to follow before the end of the year leaving Insiza Dam as the city's only supply dam.

The Mtshabezi-Umzingwane pipeline that is largely viewed as the short-term solution to Bulawayo's water problems has missed numerous completion deadlines.

The permanent solution to the city's water shortage problem is the National Matabeleland Zambezi Water project, which has been on the drawing board for 100 years.

Minister Sipepa Nkomo last month assured the region that the project would be completed in three years, following the securing of funding from China.