HON. SEN. CHIEF SIANSALI:
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Bulawayo City Council has been facing perennial challenges in water supply for over two decades, a situation that has grossly undermined the right to access water by its residents as enshrined in section 77(a) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which explicitly states that “every person has the right to safe, clean and potable water”. The year 2024 has been particularly different, with a cocktail of environmental factors which include the debilitating effects of the 2023 to 2024 El Niño induced drought being felt across the country. These environmental factors position Bulawayo City Council’s water supply situation in a dire and precarious position that needs immediate attention and renewed impetus toward finding lasting solutions. It was in light of this that the Joint Portfolio Committee on Local Government Public Works and National Housing and the Thematic Committee on Sustainable Development Goals conducted an enquiry into the state of water supply in Bulawayo to understand the gravity of the situation and ascertain the depth and magnitude of the Government’s thrust towards addressing the water supply problem in Bulawayo.
2.0 OBJECTIVES
a) To assess the situation at the water supply sources of Bulawayo City Council.
b) To assess the current water management strategies being implemented by the City of Bulawayo and gather public views and expectations on the water supply situation.
c) To verify the progress made in the construction of the Gwayi- Shangani Dam and the pipeline project.
d) To have an appreciation of the Government’s efforts towards addressing the water supply challenges in Bulawayo.
e) To come up with stakeholder-informed recommendations that will address the water supply challenges in Bulawayo.
3.0 METHODOLOGY
Pursuant to its oversight role over the Executive, the Joint Portfolio Committee on Local Government and the Thematic Committee on Sustainable Development Goals received oral evidence from the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing where key issues on water supply in Bulawayo were discussed. It is from the oral evidence meeting that the Joint Committee resolved to conduct verification visits and public hearings to have an in-depth understanding of the water supply situation in Bulawayo. From the 23rd to the 25th of September 2024, public hearings and verification visits were conducted at Bulawayo City Hall and Cowdray Park, while verification visits were conducted at Umzingwane Dam, Upper and Lower Ncema Dams, Nyamandlovu Aquifers and at the Gwayi-Shangani Dam Project. The oral evidence received from the different stakeholders and the verification visits provided enough information to come up with a comprehensive report on the state of the water supply in Bulawayo.
4.0 COMMITTEE FINDINGS
4.1 Submissions from the Public regarding the water situation in Bulawayo
The views of residents in Bulawayo regarding the water situation were marked by concern and desperation. With over 1 million residents facing acute water stress, the city’s water crisis has become a pressing issue. Outlined below are the perspectives that were aired by the residents of Bulawayo during public hearing sessions.
i. Frustrations with water rationing
The people indicated that the 120-hour water-rationing strategy introduced by Bulawayo City Council in December 2023 has not alleviated the water crisis in Bulawayo but has led to widespread frustration among the residents.
ii. Aging infrastructure
The majority of residents put their blame on the city’s aging water infrastructure which has thus resulted in over 48% of water sources being non-revenue, a scenario which has further exacerbated the water shortage.
iii. Demand for Action
The residents of Bulawayo urged the Government and the Bulawayo City leaders to take bold and immediate action to address this water crisis, including investing in new water sources and infrastructure.
iv. Health Concern
The residents highlighted that the water scarcity has compromised their health, with increased risks of water-borne diseases particularly in high-density suburbs.
4.2 Current State of Water Resources.
The Committee established that Bulawayo City Council faces a significant water supply deficit, with a daily demand of 165 mega litres against a current supply capacity of 120 mega litres. The city’s water is sourced from five dams, as well as the Nyamandlovu Aquifer and Epping Forest boreholes.
During its visit to three key dams, Umzingwane, Lower Ncema, and Upper Ncema Dams, the Committee observed a concerning situation. Umzingwane Dam was decommissioned in November 2023, while Upper Ncema and Lower Ncema are set to be decommissioned on September 28 and November 30, 2024, respectively. These decommissioned dams will leave Bulawayo City Council solely dependent on Umtshabezi, Insiza, and Inyakuni Dams, alongside the Nyamandlovu and Epping Forest boreholes. As of September 2024, the available water levels in the city’s dams were as follows:
Daily Abstraction Capacity (Mega Litres Per Day)
The situation underscores the urgency of implementing sustainable water management strategies to avert a worsening water crisis in Bulawayo.
4.2.1 Umzingwane Dam
The Committee observed that Umzingwane Dam was at a critical stage, having been decommissioned in November 2023, with water levels dropping to below 2.2% (dead water level). During its visit, the Committee noted that the dam’s existing pumps manufactured in the 1960s were outdated and inefficient. To address this, the City is installing two new pumps, each with a capacity of 21 mega litres, a significant improvement over the old pumps which could only manage 16 mega litres. This upgrade will enhance water supply to the Ncema
Water Treatment Plant.
Umzingwane Dam, a key water source owned by the Bulawayo City Council, has also been earmarked for a pipeline duplication project aimed at linking it to Umtshabezi Dam. The 42-kilometre pipeline will enable the transfer of raw water from Umtshabezi, which is managed by the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) to Umzingwane. The project, currently at the tendering stage, has received an allocation of USD 14 million from the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development, and Investment Promotion, though the funds are yet to be disbursed.
The pipeline system will utilise gravitational flow when Umzingwane Dam is at 50% capacity, directing water into the Ncema Water Treatment Plant. However, once levels fall below 50%, pumps will be required to maintain the flow. Despite these improvements, the Committee noted that Umzingwane Dam remains under constant threat from illegal mining activities in its upstream catchment area, which disrupts tributaries and reduces water inflows during the rainy season.
4.2.2 Upper Ncema and Lower Ncema Dams
The Committee found out that Upper Ncema Dam had 3.4% usable water for abstraction and set for decommissioning on 28 September 2024. The dam typically supports Lower Ncema during the dry season and had to be prematurely reopened in August 2024 to supply Lower Ncema due to the severe drought conditions. The decommissioning of Upper Ncema will further worsen Bulawayo’s water supply challenges, which will prompt the city council to increase water shedding from 120 hours to 130 hours per week. The adjustment will in essence make the residents receive water for less than two days per week, further intensifying the water crisis in the city. The Committee found out that Lower Ncema Dam was approximately at 18.5% capacity as of September 2024, receiving water from Upper Ncema Dam (decommissioned 28 September 2024) before it gravitates to the Ncema Water Treatment Plant. It was projected to be decommissioned on the 30th of November 2024, which will further exacerbate Bulawayo’s already critical water situation. As of present, the dam supplies 35 mega litres of water per day, playing a vital role in the city’s water supply.
4.2.3 Nyamandlovu Aquifer
The Committee gathered that the aquifer was established during the 1991-92 drought season as an emergency measure to supply water to the City of Bulawayo. It was developed alongside the Rochester Water System, with a design capacity to deliver 18 mega litres of water per day. The aquifer consists of 40 installed boreholes, of which only 23 are currently operational, representing 58% of its total capacity. However, out of the 23 functional boreholes, six have been rendered inactive due to vandalism, primarily from stolen electrical transformer cables. Due to vandalism, only 17 boreholes were fully operational within the Rochester system. The boreholes were sunk 200 meters apart. The Rochester Pumping Station is equipped with two storage tanks, each with a capacity of 2,880 cubic metres, from which water is pumped to supply the City of Bulawayo. The Committee found out that the City was only receiving on average 10 megalitres of water per day, way below the aquifer’s current potential supply capacity of 18 megalitres per day. Vandalism of infrastructure was identified as the chief culprit on the reduced water supply capacity in Nyamandlovu and Epping Forest.
4.2.4 Current Status of the National Zambezi Water Project (NZWP)
The Committee visited the National Zambezi Water Project (NMZWP) in Matabeleland North Hwange District, which encompasses four separate projects consisting of dam construction, the construction of a 252 km pipeline to Bulawayo, construction of a 122 km pipeline from Zambezi joining the pipeline from the dam and the water treatment plant in Bulawayo’s Cowdray Park area. The project was being implemented by China Water and Electric Corp under ZINWA’s charge. The Committee gathered that the project was still at dam wall construction level which was at 39 metres out of the 72 metres as of September 2024. This project is epitomised as the panacea to permanently addressing Bulawayo’s Gwayi- Shangani Dam forms the first phase of the NMZWP followed by the pipeline and in its totality represents a viable long-term solution to Bulawayo’s water problems.
4.2.5 The Gwayi-Shangani Dam Project
The Committee established that the Gwayi–Shangani Dam project consists of four key components:
- Construction of a roller-compacted concrete gravity arch dam
2. Development of a 10-megawatt power station
3. Construction of the Gwayi–Shangani pipeline
4. Development of the 122 km Zambezi pipeline Once completed, the dam will stand at 72 meters high with a crest length of 361.24 meters and a gross reservoir capacity of 691 million megalitres.
Initially planned for completion in three and a half years after its launch in 2003, the project has now stretched over 21 years, reaching only 70.2% completion. The prolonged delays were largely due to financial constraints. However, with adequate funding, the dam and the initial pump station to Bulawayo could be completed within 18 months.
The Gwayi–Shangani Dam is expected to supply 220 megalitres of water daily to Bulawayo— far exceeding the city’s current 165 megalitre daily demand—making it a game-changer in addressing Bulawayo’s water crisis. The Committee noted that USD84 million is required to complete the dam wall and 18 months would be needed to finalise the entire project, assuming all necessary conditions remain stable. Despite its immense benefits for Bulawayo and Matabeleland North, the project poses a significant social challenge, as it will result in the displacement of communities in Binga and Hwange districts. The Committee emphasised the need for proper planning, resettlement strategies and fair compensation to mitigate the negative impact on affected communities.
It was further established that the second phase of the project will be a 252km pipeline designed to pass alongside the Rochester System in Nyamandlovu for easy management. The contracts were already awarded to 12 contractors in March of 2022, with each contractor expected to complete 21km of the pipeline. The project stands at 15 % of completion due to financial challenges. The pipeline all in all requires USD684 million excluding the Water Treatment Plant.
4.2.6 The Mini-Hydro Power Station
The dam has a hydro power station with an installed capacity of 10 megawatts, which will be used to pump water through booster stations to be constructed along the pipeline. The project currently stands at 41% of completion and requires only six months to be completed subject to the availability of resources to finish the civil works and installation. The Committee gathered that the power station required USD18million for it to be completed. The completion of the Gwayi-Shangani pipeline, Mini hydropower station and the dam wall will be followed by the 122km Zambezi Pipeline Project which will from the Zambezi River to the pipeline from Gwayi-Shangani. The project is expected to start as soon as the whole system starts working and is a long-term measure and part of the broader plan for the National Zambezi Water Project. 4.2.7 Government funding towards the Gwayi-Shangani Project in 2024.
As of 30 September 2024, Treasury had availed USD8 million towards the National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project (NMZWP) project and the money was channeled mainly towards the construction of the hydropower station. The dam wall construction was paused because the roller compacted technology used in the dam construction requires continuous construction until the dam wall is finished. This allocation is a drop in the ocean to the required financial injection of USD84 million to finish the dam wall through using the roller compacted technology. It is critical at this juncture for the USD84 million to be released in the 2025 financial year to gather momentum towards and create impetus towards completing the monumental Gwayi Shangani Project.
4.3 Water Management Measures in Bulawayo
4.3.1 Water Shedding
The Committee established that Bulawayo City Council has implemented stringent water conservation measures, including a 40% reduction in the Reduced Free Water Allocation, cutting it from 5,000 litres to 3,000 litres per month, with excess usage charged at USD4.13 per kilolitre. The City of Bulawayo had implemented revised water allocations across different residential and commercial categories in response to diminishing dam levels. High-density suburbs were now allocated 350 litres of water per day, while low-density suburbs received 550 litres daily. Residents living in flats with individual metres had seen their daily allocation reduced from 400 litres to 300 litres. For multi-purpose buildings with bulk meters, water provision had been adjusted to 60% of their average consumption recorded over the six months ending March 2024. Residential areas relying on bulk meters had also been affected, with daily allocations cut by 10% to 60% depending on their December 2023 average consumption. In peri-urban areas such as Esigodini, Matopos, Imbizo Barracks, Sigola and Duncan villages, allocations had been slightly reduced from 75% to 70% of their average usage for the six months ending December 2023. Additionally, all new water connections to vacant stands and areas located outside Bulawayo had been suspended until further notice.
These conservation efforts underpin Bulawayo’s water-shedding regime, which began in 2022 following the 2021-2022 rainfall season, which left dam levels at 58.49%. Water shedding continued into 2023, maintaining the same dam levels after the 2022-2023 rainfall season. However, the 2023-2024 El Niño-induced drought further reduced dam levels to 41.02%, necessitating an extended 120-hour water-shedding cycle from December 2023. During the shedding period, the city’s target water consumption was 120 ML/day, compared to the unrestricted 180 ML/day. However, despite strict conservation measures, the average daily system input volume is 107 ML/day, while daily consumption stands at 113.9 ML/day, creating an imbalance that leads to frequent water supply disruptions. This ongoing crisis has further strained relations between the city council and residents, exacerbating frustrations over access to water.
4.3.2 Water-Shedding Effects
The Committee found out that despite the determined effort to converse the scarce water resource, the water-shedding programme has increased the frequency of water pipe bursts. The frequent opening and closing of water pipes due to water shedding can lead to increased pipe bursts, shortening the valve and pipe lifespan and causing significant non-revenue water losses, reduce flows, sedimentation and ultimately undermining the flow of water to reach the beneficiaries across suburbs of Bulawayo. It was further gathered that sewer surges were now a frequent feature caused by water shedding, pressure fluctuations caused and hydraulic surges in sewer systems. This unforeseen calamity was potentially damaging pipes and infrastructure and increasing the frequency of conducting sewer maintenance with the little resources that the city has. Due to increased demand in the water supply system, some areas fail to receive water due to water pressure issues and the limited hours given to each water opening shift of less than less than 48 hours.
4.3.3 Water Supply Inventions
The water supply situation in Bulawayo has invigorated the city to come up with water supply inventions in the short term to ease the water supply dilemma. The Committee gathered that borehole rehabilitation and maintenance was once of the key strategies spearheaded by the City. Bulawayo has a total 419 community boreholes, with 43 currently non-functional. Through a multi-sectorial approach, donor support has been instrumental in conducting borehole rehabilitation. The Committee found out that in June 2024, UNICEF, in partnership with Africa Ahead, rehabilitated 12 boreholes, and 31/35 boreholes were rehabilitated under the SIDA-ACF program. The Committee gathered that Water Kiosk Distribution and a fleet of water bowsers were strategies currently in place to sooth the water supply predicament across communities in Bulawayo, a total of 23 community kiosks and 22 institutional kiosks were playing a phenomenal role in providing the precious liquid to patched residents of Bulawayo. A total of seven bowsers were supplying water to clinics in Bulawayo, four of which were being outsourced
4.3.4 The Proposed Glass Block Dam as A Medium-Term
Water Supply Solution
The proposed dam will be located in Matabeleland South within the Umzingwane Catchment Area. The Glass Block will have the capacity to supply the city with 70 mega litres per day. The construction of the dam will be privately funded by a consortium including AFDB, Afreximbank and other consortium partners. The estimated cost of constructing the Glass Block Dam is USD 126 million. The Local Authority will enter into a water purchase agreement with ZINWA for a 25year period. However, the cost of supplying water, according to the feasibility studies is estimated at USD0.90 per mega litre as compared to the current average of USD0.33 per mega litre. The dam wall will be owned by the City of Bulawayo whereas the Dam will belong to ZINWA in accordance with the Water Act. The Glass Block Dam is presumed to ease pressure from the government coffers and give the government breathing space to focus on the demanding Gwayi-Shangani Project. The dam is viewed as a medium-term measure as it requires a relatively shorter time to complete, requires less financial resources, less power needs and does not have engineering complexities as compared to the Gwayi-Shangani Water Project whose pipeline project needs about USD648million.
5.0 COMMITTEE’S OBSERVATIONS
5.1 Status of Water Rationing and Management The Committee noted with concern the disparity between supply and demand for water and as a result residents are short changed. Bowsers can play a critical role in supplying residential areas affected by pressure decrease in water supply.
5.2 Upstream Alluvial River Bed Gold Panning
The Committee observed that the City of Bulawayo is currently facing a severe shortage of raw water, which is being exacerbated by increased rampant illegal gold panning in the city’s Umzingwane Dam catchment area. This has disrupted the natural flow of water, as much of it becomes trapped in mining trenches. It becomes a fundamental endeavour for all responsible authorities to address the disaster that has been brought by illegal gold panning along river basins, especially along Umzingwane River. While the Committee takes cognisance of the August 2024 directive banning all riverbed alluvial mining, significant and deliberate efforts to enforce the ban need to be taken to protect the precious water basins.
5.3 The Glass Block Dam Debate
The Committee established that the proposed construction of the Glass Block Dam was a noble initiative to address the Bulawayo water crisis in the medium term. However, the astronomical charge of water proposed by the Glass block consortium of USD0.99 cents per megalitre will have a catastrophic impact on the water billing system of Bulawayo, causing severe overcharges on the end users. Although the Committee gathered that the consortium was working around the modalities of reducing the USD0.99 cents charge per megalitre of water to USD0.50 per megalitre, the USD0.50 is still too high compared to the current USD0.33 cents per megalitre charged by ZINWA. It is imperative that the arrangement of the water service charge be significantly revised before making any headway towards giving the project the green light. Water is a basic human right and should not be commercialised in any way whatsoever to the detriment of its access by the citizenry.
5.4 Unclaimed Water at Khami Dam
The Committee established that the decommissioned Khami Dam situated in the Western area of Bulawayo, although polluted from wastewater contamination bears a significant potential of addressing the water challenge through instituting technology for claiming the wastewater for domestic consumption. Reclaiming wastewater for domestic use is an economically viable option to aid Bulawayo in addressing the water crisis in the short to medium term. The Committee observes that countries such as Namibia’s Windhoek City have been utilising waste water recycling for domestic consumption. Windhoek has been transforming wastewater into potable water for 50 years. Since 2002, the city has been providing 35% of the drinking water for nearly 400,000 inhabitants. It is critical to start thinking about water recycling in times of crisis such as the one facing the City of Bulawayo.
6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS
6.1 Bulawayo City Council through a well-coordinated multi-stakeholder approach involving farming communities in Nyamandlovu, Bulawayo City Council security personnel and the Zimbabwe Republic Police, must ensure the safety and protection of transformers pumping borehole water within the Nyamandlovu Aquifer area by 31 July 2025.
6.2 The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate, Fisheries and Rural Development through its parastatal ZINWA must repair and rehabilitate all the damaged boreholes and replace the transformer and power lines destroyed by vandalism at the Epping and Nyamandlovu Aquifer by 30 August 2025.
6.3 Bulawayo City Council should strengthen its revenue collection efforts on water tariffs and sewer and ring fence such revenue for repairs and maintenance of the water reticulation system and sewage infrastructure to reduce non- revenue water losses by 31 December 2025.
6.4 Bulawayo City Council must introduce smart metering for accurate billing as well as curbing non-revenue water losses through therehabilitation of the leaks within its water networks such as the Magwegwe Reservoir by 30 June 2025.
6.5 The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlements must consider the proposed construction of the Glasgow Dam as a medium-term measure to address Bulawayo’s water crisis by 31 December 2025, while the city awaits the commissioning of the Gwayi-Shangani Dam.
6.6 The Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion must ensure timely release of funds by to support ongoing works at Gwayi-Shangani by end of 2nd Quarter 2025.
6.7 Bulawayo City Council must explore the viability and feasibility of utilising waste water from the Aiselby Waste Water Treatment Plant and the water at the decommissioned Khami Dam for domestic consumption by 31 December 2025.
6.8 The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works in conjunction with the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Rural Development, Climate and Fisheries must facilitate the procurement of
10 water bowsers for Bulawayo City Council by 30 August 2025. 6.9 The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlements and Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage must enforce the August 2024 ban on all alluvial river-bed gold mining along Umzingwane River by 31 December 2025.
6.11 Compensation modalities for soon-to-be displaced people in Binga and Hwange districts (Lubimbi and Lusulu) and others within the dam catchment area must be expedited well ahead of time to allow for easier consultations, relocation and compensation modalities to preserve the livelihoods of the soon to be affected. This must be completed by 31 December 2025.
7.0 CONCLUSION
The imperative for addressing Bulawayo’s water supply challenges with deliberate and focused efforts cannot be overstated. As the industrial hub and city of national commercial activities and the route to Zimbabwe from a number of Southern African countries, Bulawayo plays a pivotal role in advancing the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1 and 2) and ultimately achieving Vision 2030 of attaining upper-middle-incomeeconomy. Tackling the longstanding issues of water supply is long overdue. The implementation of these proffered recommendations by the Committee must be met with an equally enthusiastic response from key stakeholders and Government agencies. Together, we can catalyse a transformation that revitalises BCC into a beacon of progress and prosperity, embodying the essence of an upper middle-income society fit for a City of Kings and Queens. I thank you.
