Parliament face to face with Bulawayo water woes

Bulawayo's escalating water shortages took center stage yesterday as parliamentarians engaged directly with the dire situation affecting the city. With the water supply dam levels in continuous decline and only 23 out of 40 boreholes in the Nyamandlovu Aquifer operational, the city faces a stringent water shedding regime.

Next Monday, the Upper Ncema Dam is set to be decommissioned, followed by the Lower Ncema Dam in November. The Umzingwane Dam was decommissioned late last year, leaving Bulawayo with only Insiza and Mtshabezi Dams as major water sources. The remaining dams collectively hold a mere 28% of their capacity, and Inyankuni Dam is also critically low, relying on supplementary inflows from the Nyamandlovu Aquifer.

The decommissioning of Upper and Lower Ncema will see the city lose approximately 35 million liters of water daily. Although Bulawayo has implemented a 120-hour water shedding program, the council has struggled to adhere to this schedule, with some areas going nearly a month without water.

A joint Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works and National Housing and the committee on Sustainable Development Goals met with Bulawayo City Council officials and councillors on Monday. They toured the supply dams and boreholes to assess the situation firsthand.

Today, the committee plans to visit the Lake Gwayi-Shangani project in Hwange district, with urgent recommendations expected to follow shortly after the visit.

During the tour, Engineer Sikhumbuzo Ncube, the city's Director of Water and Sanitation, dismissed claims that the city's dams are silted, attributing the major challenges to upstream gold panning activities and the diversion of tributaries. He highlighted the severe impact of illegal mining operations, particularly in the Umzingwane River catchment, and the council's ongoing lobbying for military assistance to manage the situation.

"Over the last three years, we have observed alarming mining activities upstream, resulting in significant environmental degradation," Ncube stated. "These operations contribute to poor inflows into our dams, compounded by a recent unfavorable rainy season."

He also expressed concern about increased vandalism threats to council pumps, a situation that has led to additional security costs to protect essential water infrastructure. New security measures, including the construction of staff quarters at Umzingwane, are being implemented to safeguard these critical assets.

Eng Kwanele Sibanda, Ncube's deputy, echoed the worsening water situation, predicting the decommissioning of Upper Ncema by the end of the month, leaving the city with only 18% from Lower Ncema.

With dam levels currently at a precarious 28%, chamber secretary Mrs. Sikhangele Zhou urged legislators to advocate for the release of US$14 million from the Treasury to avert a looming disaster.

The parliamentary delegation and councillors engaged in robust discussions, with proposals to declare Bulawayo a water shortage area to unlock potential international funding. While there are hopes that the Nyamandlovu Aquifer boreholes may alleviate some of the pressures, rampant vandalism and theft remain significant concerns. Enhanced security measures are being introduced, including plans for a police base to protect vital water infrastructure.

Joseph Tshuma, a legislator from Pelandaba-Tshabalala and part of the delegation, assured that they would pursue recommendations to lobby the executive for urgent resources to tackle the city's pressing water crisis.

"We had a meaningful engagement with council management, councillors, and other stakeholders," Tshuma said, emphasizing the need for swift action to address the critical situation.