Bulawayo council warns of 10-day water supply disruption

`Bulawayo residents have been urged to prepare for erratic water supplies over the next 10 days as the city undertakes major maintenance works on its Flowserve raw water pumping line.

In a public notice, the City of Bulawayo said the scheduled maintenance will reduce the volume of raw water reaching the Criterion Water Works by about 50%, significantly affecting the amount of treated water available for distribution across the city.

"The City of Bulawayo would like to advise residents and stakeholders of citywide water supply interruptions from Friday, 10 July 2026 to Monday, 20 July 2026. The City of Bulawayo will be carrying out a scheduled shutdown to facilitate the maintenance of the Flowserve raw water pumping line," the notice read.

The local authority said the temporary reduction in pumping capacity is expected to result in intermittent water supplies in several suburbs during the maintenance period.

Areas likely to be affected include Nketa, Nkulumane, Pumula, Cowdray Park, Tshabalala, Entumbane, Luveve, Njube, Gwabalanda, Harrisvale, Trenance, Richmond, Sauerstown, Pelandaba West and Magwegwe.

Residents have been encouraged to use water sparingly, store adequate supplies where possible and prioritise essential household needs while the maintenance work is underway.

The city apologised for the inconvenience and said the works are necessary to improve the reliability and efficiency of Bulawayo's water supply infrastructure once completed.