By Correspondent
Bulawayo is facing its worst water crisis in 10 years.
As of last week the dam capacities stood at 42.39, down from the previous week’s reading of 42,78.
The Bulawayo water crisis isn’t a new phenomena but an ignored problem that is outgrowing us.
Council has since introduced a 144-hour shedding program under which some households go for 6 days without water.
In the medium term it has set the target to build the Glass Block Dam.
April has been set as the target by which time they should be financial and engineering feasibility studies for the project.
The US$100 million dam will be built in Insiza District.
But why does water remain a challenge decades later?
Drought Region
Bulawayo is located in a drought-prone region.
Thus the water shortage problems are perennial especially with weather patterns characterised by low rainfall compounded by seasonal annual droughts.
The current El Niño and LA Niña effects together with climate change have affected the rainfall patterns in the region.
Single River System
Another reason according to a study, Bulawayo’s Water Crisis by L Berry, is the placement of the city’s major supply dams on a single river system, the Umzingwane.
This he says serves to aggravate the effects of climatic abnormalities.
Population Growth
The water crisis has also been worsened by the rapid population growth.
The city’s population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council claims it to be about 1.2 million.
For both figures the point remains the same.
The increase in population has not been matched by any concomitant extension to the city’s water supply system.
Lack of Investments in Water
Central Government is also complicit in the water crisis as over the years there has been little investments.
On paper they has been mooted for Bulawayo the Zambezi water pipeline; Gwayi Shangani dam; Mtshabezi dam; Lower Tuli dam; and Glass block dam.
Other scholars have even speculated about drawing groundwater from Umguza, part of the Nyamandlovu aquifer.
However, nothing much has been done towards those projects until a new crisis hits the city.