By
Ndumiso
Tshuma
In
an
interview
with
CITE,
Coltart
said
the
current
crisis
stems
from
long-standing
infrastructure
challenges
and
is
unrelated
to
the
utility
proposal.
“It
is
important
to
clarify
that
water
has
not
been
unavailable
because
of
the
proposal
to
establish
a
water
utility,”
said
Coltart.
“The
utility
has
not
yet
been
set
up,
and
the
water
shortages
have
nothing
to
do
with
it.
In
fact,
the
crisis
itself
shows
why
we
need
such
a
utility.”
He
added
that
water
restoration
efforts
are
underway,
with
repair
work
on
key
infrastructure,
including
pumps,
currently
in
progress.
Despite
the
mayor’s
reassurances,
some
residents
remain
unconvinced
and
have
voiced
growing
frustration
over
the
city’s
handling
of
the
crisis.
Melusi
Mpofu
from
Emakhandeni
criticised
the
focus
on
long-term
planning,
saying
residents
are
desperate
for
action
now.
“Instead
of
having
ongoing
conversations
about
a
new
water
utility,
the
BCC
should
focus
on
fixing
the
current
crisis.
Every
day
is
a
struggle
to
find
water,
we
deserve
better,”
said
Mpofu.
Ezra
Chikwava,
a
resident
of
Parklands,
questioned
why
the
city
council
isn’t
implementing
short-term
solutions
while
the
broader
discussions
continue.
“How
long
are
we
going
to
keep
attending
meetings
discussing
the
same
issue
while
residents
still
don’t
have
water?
There
are
immediate
actions
the
council
could
take.
Residents
are
suffering,”
said
Chikwava.
Themebelihle
Sibanda
from
Cowdray
Park
called
for
inclusive
decision-making.
“We
have
ideas
and
suggestions
that
could
make
a
difference.
Access
to
clean
water
is
a
basic
human
right,
and
our
voices
must
be
part
of
the
conversation.
The
council
must
listen
to
residents
and
prioritise
our
wellbeing,”
she
said.
In
a
statement
released
on
Thursday,
the
City
of
Bulawayo
announced
that
it
had
resumed
pumping
following
the
repair
of
the
damaged
water
pumps.
This
development
saw
treatment
capacity
at
Criterion
Water
Works
rise
from
45
to
between
90
and
100
megalitres
per
day
(ML/day),
returning
to
100%
operational
capacity.
The
city
reported
that
this
has
led
to
improved
reservoir
levels
and
a
gradual
stabilisation
of
supply
across
most
areas,
in
line
with
the
ongoing
130-hour
water
shedding
schedule.
The
council
also
noted
that
measures
are
being
taken
to
establish
a
reliable
fallback
pumping
system,
and
maintenance
work
is
underway
on
one
of
the
city’s
transformers.