Bulawayo residents to have 40 months of uninterrupted water supply

BULAWAYO City Council's supply dams are now at 79,65% full, which translates to about 40 months uninterrupted water supply, barring any changes in the size of the city's population and other factors.

The director of engineering services on February 26 reported that this year, the total volume was 330 233 665m³ of which the usable volume was 313 648 557m³.

During the same period last year, the operational dams contained 381 385 506m³ of water that is 91,98%, which was 12,37% more than the current storage.

The average draw-down calculated using the period 2012-2014, when there were no inflows was 7 908 827m³ per month.

Using this figure for draw-down and usable storage of 313 648 557 m³, the expected theoretical depletion period translates to 39,66 months, council said.

"This was assuming that the population and city development growth remained as it was, as well the city received normal rains for this period," it said.

Mtshabezi was the only dam which was 100% full as of February 24.

Lower Ncema was 89,48% full, Insiza (81,67%), Inyankuni (78,74%), Umzingwane (71,88%) and Upper Ncema (53,91%).

Abstraction from supply dams in the month of February totalled 3 751 210m³ with Mtshabezi pumping 466 160m³, council said.

The desired monthly average was 486 667m³ at 16ml per day when the Umzingwane dam was not full.

BCC recently announced that it was working on the construction of a new supply dam near Filabusi in Matabeleland South mid-year.

The Glassblock Dam project is expected to take two-and-a-half years will be undertaken at an estimated cost of $208 million, according to BCC mayor Martin Moyo.