Back to Index

Bulawayo council resorts to boreholes
The Standard (Zimbabwe)
August 21, 2005

http://www.thestandard.co.zw/read.php?st_id=3098

THE Bulawayo city council has drilled more than 40 boreholes in an attempt to improve water supplies in a city hard hit by water rationing.

The boreholes were drilled in Mpopoma, Newton West, Cowdray Park, Magwegwe, Sizinda, Pumula, Saurstown and Entumbane.

A department of engineering council officialconfirmed on Friday that drilling of boreholes was underway.

"The residents will be using the underground water for washing purposes, watering gardens and other domestic purposes but the water can be consumed. People drink borehole water in rural areas, so why not here in town," said the city council official.

The country's second largest city introduced water rationing last month but the water shortage continues to haunt residents.

Suburbs worst affected by the shortages are Emakhandeni, Bellevue, Entumbane, Emganwini and Newton West which sometimes go for days without supplies.

Bulawayo Town Clerk, Moffat Ndlovu, attributed the water shortage to persistent poor rains received over the past years in the catchment areas of supply dams.

"Major Bulawayo water reservoirs such as Umzingwane and Upper Ncema have run out of water. Whilst the remaining dams are on average 46 percent full. The gravity mains channelling water to the water works are limited to 90 000 cubic metres a day. This is against the city's average demand of about 140 000 cubic metres a day, projected to have reduced to 90 000 cubic metres with the introduction of the water rationing scheme.

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP