Despite Rains, Bulawayo Taps Run Dry

Residents fear re-living the 2020 diarrhoea outbreak due to water shortages caused by a fall in the dams supplying Bulawayo. Image by Unsplash

BY LIZWE SEBATHA | @The_CBNews | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | APR 7, 2022

In 2020, the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) appealed to President Emmerson Mnangagwa to declare the city a water shortage area after being frustrated with the lack of urgency by the relevant ministries.

BULAWAYO (The Citizen Bulletin) — Blessing Moyo, a resident of Gwabalanda suburb, is a worried man as he relives the 2020 diarrhoea outbreak that hit Luveve and other surrounding suburbs.

The diarrhoea outbreak, blamed on severe water shortages, claimed 13 lives and infected over 2000 others.

At the time, the local authority had decommissioned Umzingwane, Upper Ncema and Lower, a situation that saw residents going close to a week without running taps.

“My main worry is that we are still in March and one is left asking what the situation would be like after a few months before the rainy season.”
Blessing Moyo, a Gwabalanda resident in Bulawayo

After the poor rains, Bulawayo’s supply dams have fallen, forcing the local authority to re-introduce a daily 20 hour water rationing regime in February targeting Gwabalanda, Magwegwe West and North suburbs.

Council has also announced that it may be forced to decommission Umzingwane dam anytime due to low water levels.

The dam is less than 10% full.

“It’s clear that we will be going for weeks without water around October,” Moyo adds.

A latest report of the council Water Supplies and Water Action Committee  shows that Umtshabezi will be decommissioned in April, Insiza in June, Upper Ncema in July and Inyankuni in September while Lower Ncema faces the same fate in a few months due to dwindling water levels.

“The decommissioning (Umzingwane) would result in reduced available abstraction by 35 megaliters per day thus affecting total available raw water for delivery to criterion,” the report reads.

Bulawayo requires an estimated 150 ML per day.

According to the report, as at December 20, 2021, the volume of available water at Insiza was 109,166,750 cubic metres, Inyankuni 40,914,810 m3, Lower Ncema 11,656,052 m3, Umzingwane 1,486,760 m3, Upper Ncema 13,656,760m3 and Mtshabezi 32,527,760 m3.

“Lower Ncema normally depleted later than indicated as Upper Ncema was used as a source for it. The above were the current obtaining figures as at the date of preparation of this report,” the report adds.

Data visualization by BCC

In 2020, desperate residents resorted to vandalising the city’s water-piping system to access the precious liquid.

As concerns loom large over dwindling water levels, the council also faces a challenge in pumping water at its treatment plants, resulting in the water challenges.

“At present, Ncema water works had a capacity to pump a maximum of 40 Mℓ to 45 Mℓ/day out of the expected 80 Mℓ/day clear water due to 60% of the filters not working and to be addressed through the tender for the Rehabilitation of these,” the report adds.

At the same time, borehole water cannot be relied upon to alleviate the water shortages, the council warns.

“…borehole water was not treated water nor does council have the capacity to treat or protect such water from contamination. In that regard, bacteriological quality of borehole water could not be guaranteed since the water was untreated.”

Bulawayo commentator Effie Ncube says Bulawayo’s water challenges need a permanent solution not halfhearted measures.

“The only way to defeat water shortages in Bulawayo is to invest in water supply at a city level, and at a national level. We need bigger, better dams,” Ncube says.

Residents pin hopes on the completion of the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project (MZWP) that involves the construction of the Gwayi-Shangani dam.

ALSO READ: Gwanda's Greenland Complex, A "Mafia" Business Centre

Once complete, an estimated 160 000 megalitres will be piped daily to Bulawayo.

The central government says the dam construction is expected to be complete in December 2022.

The Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) and Chinese contractor, China International Water and Electric Corporation are involved in the construction of the dam.

Until then, Moyo plans to invest in a Jojo tank to store water.

“I have to be prepared for the worst,” he says.

 Do you have a hyperlocal story to share?

WhatsApp us on: +263 71 863 6459.  Email us on: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Since You’re Here, We’ve a Small Request…

Our hard-hitting hyperlocal reporting and analysis reaches one in every three people across the greater region of Matabeleland, southwestern Zimbabwe. That means our content reaches approximately 60,000 readers each week. However, in order for our well-rounded journalism to reach more people who need it to make informed decisions about their lives and their communities, we need to build a strong audience of followers that would receive our rigorous reporting in just one place. Because of exorbitant internet data costs, we know most of our readers use messaging apps such as WhatsApp to get all our content in one place. But the platform, predominantly used by our readers, is not primarily designed for content distribution and reader engagement. That is why we’re building a WhatsApp Bot to navigate this challenge. But in order for this strategy to work effectively to serve our needs, we want all our casual readers like you to be part of our growing WhatsApp Community. To be part of this community of registered users, WhatsApp the word "JOIN" to +263 71 863 6459. We look forward to engaging and building a lasting relationship with you. Thank you.