Bulawayo to embark on 24 hour water shedding schedule as water crisis worsens
The Bulawayo City Council. which is set to embark on a 24-hour water shedding schedule for all suburbs on November 1, has been forced to decommission Umzingwane Dam due to low water levels. Upper Ncema Dam was decommissioned in July.
This leaves the city relying on Insiza, Inyankuni, Lower Ncema, and Mtshabezi which hold only 30,5 percent of their cumulative capacity. Council has warned residents who exceed their water rationing limits that restrictors would be installed on their taps, adding a 48-hour shedding schedule may soon be implemented.
Deputy director of engineering services Engineer Mente Ndlovu told stakeholders at a water crisis meeting yesterday that,
It is evident that the available water in the dams needs to be conserved and one of the strategies is to water shed. For a start a 24-hour regime is recommended but a 48-hour regime has been submitted for future planning. The proposed 48-hour water shedding schedule would be implemented if the rainfall situation does not improve. This is a bid to conserve the water and be able to manage the limited resources and declining dam levels.
More: Chronicle
