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Parliament recommends waste water use for BCC
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Bulawayo's perennial water supply challenges, which have persisted for over two decades and severely undermined residents' right to access safe water, were the focus of a recent inquiry by parliamentary committees, resulting in a series of urgent recommendations to alleviate the crisis.
The Joint Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, together with the Thematic Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, highlighted the worsening situation in a report following an enquiry conducted earlier this year.
According to the committees, 2024 has brought unprecedented strain on Bulawayo's water resources due to a combination of environmental factors, including the devastating effects of the 2023/24 El Niño-induced drought.
"These environmental factors position Bulawayo City Council's water supply situation in a dire and precarious position that needs immediate attention and renewed impetus towards finding lasting solutions," the report stated.
One of the key recommendations urges the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) to explore the use of treated water from the Aiselby Waste Water Treatment Plant and to rehabilitate the decommissioned Khami Dam - currently contaminated - as potential sources to ease the city's water shortage.
The report drew attention to successful wastewater recycling initiatives such as in Windhoek, Namibia, where 35% of the city's potable water comes from treated wastewater, a practice sustained for over 50 years.
"Reclaiming wastewater for domestic use is an economically viable option to aid Bulawayo in addressing its water crisis in the short to medium term," the committee noted.
Security concerns around critical water infrastructure were also addressed, with calls for a multi-stakeholder approach involving local communities, law enforcement, and council security to protect pumping transformers at boreholes within the Nyamandlovu aquifer area by July 31, 2025.
Furthermore, the report demands urgent repairs and rehabilitation of damaged boreholes and power infrastructure at Epping Forest and Nyamandlovu Aquifer, with deadlines set for August 30, 2025.
To improve financial sustainability, the committee recommended that BCC strengthen revenue collection on water tariffs and sewage, ring-fencing these funds for maintenance and reducing non-revenue water losses - currently exceeding 48% due to aging infrastructure.
Smart metering systems and leak repairs, especially around the Magwegwe reservoir, are targeted for implementation by June 30, 2025, to improve billing accuracy and conserve water.
Medium-term solutions proposed include construction of the Glasgow Dam, which the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement is urged to consider, while the Finance Ministry must ensure timely funding for ongoing work at Gwayi-Shangani Dam.
The committee also called for the procurement of 10 water bowsers by Bulawayo City Council by August 30, 2025, to improve water delivery logistics.
Highlighting the urgency, the report stated: "Bulawayo, as the industrial hub and a key commercial city and transit route in Zimbabwe, plays a pivotal role in advancing national development strategies and achieving Vision 2030. Addressing its water challenges is long overdue."
Residents blamed the city's ageing infrastructure for the water shortages, with health risks from waterborne diseases particularly acute in high-density suburbs.
The committee found that Bulawayo faces a daily water demand of 165 mega litres against a current supply capacity of only 120 mega litres.
With three key dams - Umzingwane (decommissioned November 2023), Upper Ncema (to be decommissioned September 28, 2024), and Lower Ncema (to be decommissioned November 30, 2024) - being taken offline, the city will rely heavily on Umtshabezi, Insiza, and Inyakuni dams, as well as boreholes at Nyamandlovu and Epping Forest, putting further strain on limited resources.
The parliamentary committees emphasised that a coordinated, multi-sectoral response is critical to ensuring Bulawayo's water security and safeguarding the health and livelihoods of its residents.
The Joint Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, together with the Thematic Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, highlighted the worsening situation in a report following an enquiry conducted earlier this year.
According to the committees, 2024 has brought unprecedented strain on Bulawayo's water resources due to a combination of environmental factors, including the devastating effects of the 2023/24 El Niño-induced drought.
"These environmental factors position Bulawayo City Council's water supply situation in a dire and precarious position that needs immediate attention and renewed impetus towards finding lasting solutions," the report stated.
One of the key recommendations urges the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) to explore the use of treated water from the Aiselby Waste Water Treatment Plant and to rehabilitate the decommissioned Khami Dam - currently contaminated - as potential sources to ease the city's water shortage.
The report drew attention to successful wastewater recycling initiatives such as in Windhoek, Namibia, where 35% of the city's potable water comes from treated wastewater, a practice sustained for over 50 years.
"Reclaiming wastewater for domestic use is an economically viable option to aid Bulawayo in addressing its water crisis in the short to medium term," the committee noted.
Security concerns around critical water infrastructure were also addressed, with calls for a multi-stakeholder approach involving local communities, law enforcement, and council security to protect pumping transformers at boreholes within the Nyamandlovu aquifer area by July 31, 2025.
Furthermore, the report demands urgent repairs and rehabilitation of damaged boreholes and power infrastructure at Epping Forest and Nyamandlovu Aquifer, with deadlines set for August 30, 2025.
Smart metering systems and leak repairs, especially around the Magwegwe reservoir, are targeted for implementation by June 30, 2025, to improve billing accuracy and conserve water.
Medium-term solutions proposed include construction of the Glasgow Dam, which the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement is urged to consider, while the Finance Ministry must ensure timely funding for ongoing work at Gwayi-Shangani Dam.
The committee also called for the procurement of 10 water bowsers by Bulawayo City Council by August 30, 2025, to improve water delivery logistics.
Highlighting the urgency, the report stated: "Bulawayo, as the industrial hub and a key commercial city and transit route in Zimbabwe, plays a pivotal role in advancing national development strategies and achieving Vision 2030. Addressing its water challenges is long overdue."
Residents blamed the city's ageing infrastructure for the water shortages, with health risks from waterborne diseases particularly acute in high-density suburbs.
The committee found that Bulawayo faces a daily water demand of 165 mega litres against a current supply capacity of only 120 mega litres.
With three key dams - Umzingwane (decommissioned November 2023), Upper Ncema (to be decommissioned September 28, 2024), and Lower Ncema (to be decommissioned November 30, 2024) - being taken offline, the city will rely heavily on Umtshabezi, Insiza, and Inyakuni dams, as well as boreholes at Nyamandlovu and Epping Forest, putting further strain on limited resources.
The parliamentary committees emphasised that a coordinated, multi-sectoral response is critical to ensuring Bulawayo's water security and safeguarding the health and livelihoods of its residents.
Source - Southern Eye
