BCC warns against connecting private water sources to city system

Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has cautioned residents not to connect water tanks and boreholes to the council system as it may be difficult to trace water contamination.

This comes as the local authority has noted a rise in the use of household water tanks and illegally connected boreholes to the city's water system as the city battles critical water shortages.

The council fears that these illegal connections make it difficult to trace potential water contamination. This issue arises as the number of residents relying on borehole water has increased due to Bulawayo's perennial water challenges.

According to the latest council report, Deputy Mayor Edwin Ndlovu requested clarification on the policy governing household water tanks.

"Most of these individual tanks were connected to the system and had resulted in water not reaching other areas," he said.

The Acting Chamber Secretary highlighted that there was no by-law to govern the use of water tanks.

"In concurrence, she urged that residents were cautioned not to connect water tanks and boreholes to Council system as it may be difficult to trace contamination. She further indicated that the issue of household water tanks was being looked into," read the minutes.

Recently, ward 17 councilor Sikhululekile Moyo disclosed that the council is contemplating using drones to assess the prevalence of water tanks in the city.

This is meant refine the water billing system by excluding residents equipped with such facilities from the conventional fixed billing system.