Bulawayo
residents
are
enduring
water-shedding
schedules
of
up
to
130
hours,
with
some
facing
even
longer
periods
due
to
power
cuts
and
other
disruptions.
Coltart’s
comments
came
after
he
and
the
Minister
of
Water,
Dr.
Anxious
Masuka,
inspected
three
key
dams—Mtshabezi,
Umzingwane,
and
Insiza—that
supply
water
to
the
city.
“On
Friday,
I
inspected
the
Mtshabezi
Dam
pump
station,
Umzingwane
Dam
pump
station,
and
Insiza
Dam
with
the
Minister
of
Water,
Dr
Anxious
Masuka.
The
key
issues
that
emerged
are
as
follows:
Although
Mtshabezi
Dam
is
over
50
percent
full,
its
pipeline
to
the
Umzingwane
Dam
pump
station
can
only
deliver
a
maximum
of
17
megaliters
per
day,
far
below
Bulawayo’s
daily
requirement
of
165
megaliters.”
He
explained
that
the
17
megaliter
capacity
assumes
continuous
24-hour
pumping,
seven
days
a
week.
However,
due
to
frequent
power
cuts,
the
pumps
operate
at
only
about
75
percent
capacity,
reducing
the
actual
volume
to
around
13
megaliters
per
day.
Additionally,
much
of
the
pipeline
between
Mtshabezi
Dam
and
Ncema
is
gravity-fed,
meaning
that
the
13
megaliters
initially
pumped
drops
to
just
nine
megaliters
by
the
time
it
reaches
Ncema.
Coltart
noted
that
while
Mtshabezi
Dam
holds
a
significant
amount
of
water,
the
city
is
only
receiving
a
small
portion
of
it
due
to
these
limitations.
He
highlighted
two
critical
actions
needed
to
improve
supply:
completing
the
upgrade
of
the
pumps
at
Umzingwane
pump
station,
which
is
expected
within
two
weeks,
and
diverting
a
portion
of
the
pipeline
from
Mtshabezi
to
the
Umzingwane
pump
station
to
facilitate
more
efficient
pumping.
“We
have
been
unable
to
construct
the
diversion
due
to
delays
in
receiving
funding
from
the
government,
which
was
promised
in
April
but
has
not
yet
been
disbursed,
and
delays
in
procurement
processes.
I
am
grateful
that
Dr.
Masuka
committed
to
addressing
both
issues—namely,
the
release
of
the
necessary
funds
from
the
Treasury
and
waiving
the
PRAZ
procedures
due
to
the
urgency
of
the
situation.”
“He
also
committed
to
advocating
for
the
installation
of
a
solar
system
at
Mtshabezi
pump
station
to
increase
the
number
of
pumping
hours.
With
this,
we
hope
to
reach
the
full
design
capacity
of
17
megaliters
per
day.
Increasing
capacity
beyond
this
would
require
constructing
a
duplicate
pipeline,
which
is
costly
and
not
feasible
for
the
immediate
crisis,”
said
Coltart.
Regarding
Insiza
Dam,
Coltart
revealed
that
it
is
currently
at
38
percent
capacity
but
losing
water
rapidly
due
to
evaporation.
“Its
pipeline
to
Ncema
is
designed
to
deliver
55
megaliters
per
day,
but
technical
issues
have
reduced
this
to
about
46
megaliters
per
day.
Our
engineers
advised
that
clearing
siltation
along
this
gravity-fed
pipeline
and
taking
measures
to
increase
water
pressure
could
restore
its
original
capacity.
This
work,
too,
has
been
delayed
due
to
the
lack
of
government
funds
promised
in
April.
Again,
I
am
thankful
to
Dr.
Masuka
for
his
commitment
to
push
for
urgent
funding
and
to
waive
PRAZ
procedures
for
a
quicker
resolution.”
Coltart
also
provided
an
update
on
the
Nyamandlovu
aquifer,
which
has
a
design
capacity
of
20
megaliters
per
day.
“The
aquifer’s
design
capacity
is
20
megaliters
per
day,
but
it
has
been
operating
below
this
due
to
the
theft
of
pumps
and
switchgear.
However,
the
situation
has
improved,
and
we
are
now
receiving
around
15
megaliters
per
day.
As
previously
reported,
Umzingwane
and
Upper
Ncema
dams
have
been
decommissioned,
and
Lower
Ncema
will
follow
shortly.”
He
warned
of
a
dire
situation
if
Inyankuni
Dam,
currently
at
18
percent
capacity,
runs
dry.
“If
Inyankuni
dries
up,
we
will
only
have
the
current
9
megaliters
from
Mtshabezi,
45
from
Insiza,
and
15
from
Nyamandlovu—a
total
of
around
60
megaliters,
far
below
our
daily
requirement
of
165
megaliters.
This
illustrates
the
severity
of
our
water
crisis
and
the
urgent
need
for
upgrades
and
rehabilitation
of
the
Mtshabezi
and
Insiza
pipelines,”
he
said.
Coltart
expressed
hope
that
Dr.
Masuka’s
commitment
would
lead
to
prompt
government
action
in
the
coming
days
and
weeks.
The
mayor
also
urged
the
government
to
approve
the
construction
of
the
Glassblock
Bopoma
Dam,
which
would
provide
an
additional
70
megaliters
of
water
per
day.
“I
also
took
the
opportunity
to
request
that
all
necessary
government
approvals
be
granted
urgently
for
the
construction
of
the
Glassblock
Bopoma
Dam,
which
would
add
an
extra
70
megaliters
of
water
per
day
to
Bulawayo’s
supply.
Although
it
will
take
two
years
to
build
the
dam
and
its
32-kilometer
pipeline
to
Ncema,
starting
work
immediately
is
crucial
to
avoid
a
similar
crisis
in
the
future.”
“When
completed,
the
Glassblock
Bopoma
Dam
will
ensure
Bulawayo’s
water
security
until
2040,
giving
the
government
time
to
finish
the
Gwaai-Shangani
Dam,
which
is
only
55
percent
complete,
and
its
257-kilometer
pipeline
to
Bulawayo.
This
project
will
cost
a
further
US$800
million
to
complete,
compared
to
US$126
million
for
building
the
Glassblock
Bopoma
Dam
and
its
pipeline,”
he
said.