The Bulawayo City Council has failed to implement a water conservation project, which was designed by the Norwegian consultant Norplan. The project was meant to save water in supply dams to avoid the city plunging into a serious water shortage. The council had begun implementing the project, but abandoned it three years ago due to lack of manpower and financial resources. Norplan offered technical and financial assistance to implement ways of saving water supplies.
“Detailed planning and technical assistance was offered to the city during the year 2001. The conservation project ran successfully for three years but over the years the council failed to keep the programme running,” a report by the Future Water Supplies and Water Action Committee reveals. “Leak detection teams that had been previously set up collapsed, and the
sector upgrading exercise which involved the replacement of old and redundant piping and auxilliary items was virtually suspended.” The water committee noted that the continued burst water pipes were costing the council thousands of United States dollars as well as compromising water quality.
Recently, the Town Clerk, Middleton Nyoni, confirmed that the city’s water quality was below standard due to the breakdown of equipment at Ncema and Criterion Water works. The council said it has submitted a detailed report to potential donors who were already in the process of fundraising for water projects.
Post published in: News