Load shedding reprieve for ZITF period

THE Government has moved in to resolve the water crisis bedevilling Bulawayo, with indications that the city's pumping stations will soon be exempted from electricity load shedding that is said to be worsening water woes.

The city is facing one of its worst water crisis in recent years, which has seen the council adopting a 72-hour water shedding schedule so as to conserve available supplies to the next rainy season. However, the local authority has had to constantly suspend the 72-hour shedding schedule replacing it with a provisional water supply restoration schedule, attributing that to erratic power supplies at water stations.

BCC claimed they were only receiving 8-10 hours of power supply a day, resulting in a drop from the early March 2023 system input volume.

Yesterday, the Local Government Ministry met council officials as well as officials from the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) to get an appreciation of the prevailing situation.

It was in that meeting that ZETDC reportedly undertook to ensure that the city's pumping and treatment works are exempted from load shedding, while the city will also not endure any load shedding during the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair period. ZITF is set to be held from 25 to 29 April.

In an interview after the meeting, which also included a tour of Criterion Treatment Works, the Ministry's Permanent Secretary, Mr Zvinechimwe Churu said as a short-term measure, it was now for the local authority to apply for the virement of their devolution fund, so as to get US$900 000 for water pumping and treatment works.

"The meeting was mainly meant for us to have an appreciation of the water supply situation currently obtaining in the city. This follows a number of media reports which indicated that there were challenges being faced by the city and we wanted to find out by ourselves on what is really obtaining.

"In the short term, for the meeting that we had, there is an indication that we require an amount of about US$900 000, which we believe that if council makes a request for funding through their allocation of the devolution fund, the Ministry of Local Government will support them very much because this has the potential of unlocking significant increase in megalitres of water," said Mr Churu.

He said the local authority had also indicated that Criterion Treatment Works also need about US$800 000, which Mr Churu revealed could also be funded through devolution funds from Central Government, if the local authority made the application.

He further revealed that yesterday's meeting which was also attended by the Minister of State for Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Judith Ncube as well as the Mayor, Councillor Solomon Mguni, will be followed by a technical meeting, as Government works towards resolving the water crisis in the city.

Commenting on the outcome of the meeting, ZETDC acting western region general manager Engineer Lloyd Jaji, confirmed that the power utility would work on exempting the city's pumping and treatment works from load shedding.

"If the situation allows, we will surely be exempting their pumping and treatment works from load shedding so as to allow smooth pumping and increase in water supplies from the city. Yes, for now they have dedicated lines to their stations, where the Esigodini line is carrying them but if we get adequate supplies from our power sources, we will be exempting their stations totally from any load shedding," said Eng Jaji.

Clr Mguni also reiterated the position by ZETDC to exempt the city's pumping and treatment works from load shedding.

"It was a closed-door meeting with lots of assurances, basically, the issue of exemption of the treatment works to power cuts by ZETDC and rehabilitation of boreholes at Rochester and Epping Forest by Zinwa and other water projects that may require Government funding came up for discussion," said Clr Mguni.

However, the National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project is seen as the answer to solve perennial water challenges in Bulawayo. The project is expected to be completed this year, with the construction of Lake Gwayi-Shangani and the Shangani Bulawayo pipeline close to completion.