Companies urged to drill own boreholes

THE Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) has urged companies to drill their own boreholes and stop solely relying on council water.

The call was made after Bulawayo-based agro-processing firm, United Refineries Limited (URL) temporarily suspended operations at its factory this week due to shortages of water.

The city is currently facing serious water shortages which have caused companies and people to turn to borehole water.

ZNCC vice-president Golden Muoni said most companies and industries had moved from relying on water from the city council.

"The water crisis in Bulawayo was already there when COVID-19, which then took more attention, broke out," he said.

"Most of the companies have drilled boreholes and I am surprised that URL did not have one.

"We need to be innovative from the private sector, government and citizens to invest in projects like the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project which can then provide water to the city."

Added Muoni: "Other countries have managed to invest in water and are able to draw water from oceans to alleviate water problems. What is stopping us from doing that? We can construct reservoirs from which companies can draw water during the rainy season rather than having water being wasted flowing to the rivers."

He said water shortages scared away investors.

Association for Business in Zimbabwe chief executive officer Victor Nyoni said companies should engage in water harvesting projects to alleviate the water problem.

"The first problem caused by the water crisis is to do with production because in production, a lot of water is required. The second one is to do with hygiene as water is critical for employees particularly in this COVID-19 era," he said.