BULAWAYO mayor David Colart has painted a dire picture of the city’s water crisis and appeared for the urgent release of US$14 million for the critical upgrade of the Mtshabezi and Insiza pipelines as an immediate intervention.
Coltart, councillors and members of the water technical committee visited Umzingwane Dam and pump station and Ncema pump stations purification works on Friday where he said the city faces a catastrophe.
“Regrettably, Umzingwane Dam itself is currently 2% full and has been decommissioned. Inyankuni is at 22% and will be decommissioned if we don’t have adequate rains this season,” he posted on X after the visit.
“In essence, although the pumps are being upgraded, which was necessary, they have no water to pump from Umzingwane dam and there is relatively little water to pump from Inyankuni.
“Because of this it is vital that we upgrade as a matter of urgency both the Insiza and Mtshabezi pipelines. These dams are 43% and 53% full respectively at present and are the lifelines.
“But at present we are unable to receive adequate quantities of water from those dams because of deficiencies in their pipelines.”
City residents are currently going for days without water.
Government has refused to declare the city a water crisis area to allow the local authority to mobilise outside financial support to alleviate the crisis.
“I stressed in my remarks to the press at Umzingwane that without this work being done within the next few months Bulawayo faces a catastrophe,” Coltart said.
“After Umzingwane we visited Ncema. Whilst the water purification works and pump stations are working, the water purification site is old (built in the 1940s) and the pumps on the Ncema/Tuli section of our system are old and running at 35% capacity.
“As a matter of urgency these facilities and pumps need to be upgraded.”
