By Nyaradzo Bakari
THE Bulawayo City Council on Thursday reviewed its water shedding to 120 hours per week with effect from Monday next week as the amount of water in supply dams and reservoirs has gone beyond critical levels.
Bulawayo water woes continue to worsen at a time when the country is facing coronavirus, a virus that requires people to have adequate water supplies to practice good hygiene through constant washing of hands.
Residents now have to spend long hours queuing to fetch water from boreholes across the city, which may affect social distancing as one of the ways of minimising the spread of Coronavirus.
Recently the local authority introduced a 108 hour water shedding system to manage levels of consumption by citizens.
BCC has even applied for Government to declare the city’s water shortages a national disaster.
In a statement on Thursday, Bulawayo Town clerk Mr Christopher Dube said council has increased water shedding by 12 hours every week, from 108 hours to 120.
He said the city will experience a discontinuous supply of water till Sunday.
“The City council would like to advise residents that the city will be introducing the 120 hour water shedding programme with effect from Monday 27 April 2020. However, in a bit to manage water supply from the low water reservoirs, council would like to advise that there will be an emergency intermittent supply of water across the city, except for industry and central business district until Sunday 26 April 2020 in a bid to balance the system,” reads the statement.
“This is due to the very high water consumption experienced city wide from Tuesday 21 April 2020 to Wednesday 22 April 2002 averaging at 150ML per day against a system input of 90ML per day. The system will therefore, with immediate effect be closed to allow for the recovery of critical reservoirs.”
The town clerk said the water shedding programme was subject to change if the raw water reservoir level improves of deteriorates.
Bulawayo is operating with four supply dams after it decommissioned Umzingwane and Upper Ncema dams last year.
