By 
Despite Countrywide Incessant Rains, the country’s second largest city of Bulawayo also known as the City of Kings is suffering critically low dam levels.
Bulawayo City Council (BCC) released its latest report indicating there has been a decrease in dam levels of some of the city’s supply dams compared to the levels recorded in November last year.
Mtshabezi Dam increased from 68, 33 percent in November to 69.3 as of Wednesday.Decommissioned in November last year, Upper Ncema which was at 2,24 percent in November is now at 2,6 percent.
Umguza District’s Inyankuni Dam still has low water levels. Zimbabwe National Water Authority, Zinwa released an update, where the dam level at Inyankuni declined from 41,6 percent in November to 36,4 percent.
There is a distinct discolouration on the rocks where the water flowed and on the dam wall with Lower Ncema Dam also recordings a decline in water levels from 47,13 percent in November to 29,4 percent.
The 72-hour water-shedding schedule being implemented by BCC will henceforth continue as a result of low dam Water levels experienced in the City of Kings.
The City of Kings introduced a 72-hour water shedding programme in August last year as part of the city’s strategies to conserve water which saw residents only accessing water four days a week while in some suburbs the water is only available for a few hours a week.
The country’s second largest city’s dams also recorded insignificant inflows during the 2021/22 rainy season.
Meanwhile the country has reached the summer season and it is expected that water consumption will increase despite Bulawayo municipality in the past few months postponing decommissioning of Umzingwane and Upper Ncema dams due to the scheduled water shedding programme.
To add salt to injury, the vandalism of infrastructure at Epping Forest and Rochester Aquifer is also contributing to the city’s water crisis.
Epping Forest and Rochester Aquifer is pumping 3megalitres (ML) of water from 26ML because of those acts of vandalism on infrastructure.
The Second Republic, through Zinwa, rehabilitated boreholes at Epping Forest and Rochester to improve Bulawayo’s water situation in 2020. The aquifer is meant to complement Bulawayo’s supply dams, whose water levels have remained low.
Also the Epping Forest boreholes were rehabilitated at a time when Bulawayo was experiencing its worst water crisis in the city’s modern history. The water crisis resulted in the death of 14 residents in Luveve suburb due to diarrhoea-related illnesses.
Comments