The government has moved to address the water crisis facing Bulawayo by repairing 35 of the 60 boreholes in the Nyamandlovu groundwater basin, while 83 sites have been identified to drill more boreholes within the city as part of emergency measures.
The repaired wells in Nyamandlovu are pumping 12 megalitres of water daily into the city, with the aim of increasing quantities to at least 16 megalitres once the remaining 25 wells are repaired.
According to the Bulawayo Water Crisis Technical Committee headed by Engineer Anatoria Chinyama, the repair of the remaining boreholes will be completed within the next 100 days following a further extension of its mandate by the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development. Dr. Worried Masuka.
The 20-member technical committee was appointed by President Mnangagwa in November last year and given a 100-day mandate, during which they repaired the 35 wells, a task slowed by equipment theft and vandalism.
To mitigate the risk of theft and vandalism, Minister Masuka, who was in the city yesterday and met with Bulawayo State Minister for Regional Affairs and Delegation, Judith Ncube, at the Mhlalandlela Government Complex, told the media after a review meeting with the technical committee. The government has since decided to deploy state security agencies to guard the wells, a further confirmation that the Second Republic is committed to resolving the water crisis in Bulawayo.
“We have asked them (the technical committee) to redouble their efforts and ensure that the Nyamandlov aquifer is able to give us the maximum capacity for which it was designed,” Dr Masuka said.
“Right now, we are getting 12 megalitres a day and we think the minimum should be 16 megalitres.
The minister said: “As for the acts of sabotage taking place there, we will activate the state security services to ensure that they are nipped in the bud and those who have a tendency to sabotage are here and are being warned now.”
He said positive progress had been made with regard to the rehabilitation of boreholes, adding that the Epping Forest Rochester system would also be commissioned soon after addressing the three major areas of concern such as erratic electricity supply, which had been largely resolved, and vandalism. Transformers replaced with a different model making it harder to vandalize.
Minister Masuka said that although there were cases of theft and vandalism, a visit by a ministerial delegation accompanied by a security detail last year led to some measures being taken, which led to a significant reduction in such incidents.
As part of the free emergency aspect, he said the government embarked on an enhanced borehole drilling project and subsequently 83 sites were found with 22 suitable approved sites while 15 sites have since been equipped with solar energy for use by residents.
Within the next two months or so, Dr Masuka said the 83 sites should be fully operational.
One of the wells that were vandalized in the Nyamandlov aquifer
He acknowledged that Bulawayo, through the City Council, had submitted a proposal for private sector investment in the Glass Block Dam in Insiza, and the technical team had been tasked with expediting the evaluation process so that approvals could be formally granted for this free investment.
On the issue of declaring the water crisis in Bulawayo a state of disaster, Minister Masuka said: “It is not just people who want to declare a crisis, it is a realistic scientific approach. The dams and their capacities are known, the means of transportation are known, so we must be able to obtain information.” Realistic about our water amounts and the potential evaporation that may occur.
“From this information, we will know whether we have enough water until the next rainy season so we can make a fact-based decision.”
The second-largest city is facing a catastrophic water crisis, which has seen a 120-hour water cut-off schedule imposed, as the council struggles to pump enough raw water into its reservoirs as a result of depleted water levels in its supply dams coupled with flooding. A long-term fault at the Nsima pumping station.
Some residents remained for nearly three weeks with dry taps, forcing communities to obtain water from unclean sources, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera.
The Bulawayo City Council believes the three most important short- and medium-term solutions to the crisis lie in the urgent construction of the Glass Dam in the Insiza District, South Matabeleland, the repair of the Nsima Water Treatment Plant, and the rehabilitation of wells in the Nyamandlov aquifer. Chronicle
