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(HERALD) Bulawayo dams receive insignificant inflows

Bulawayo dams receive insignificant inflows
Monday, 20 December 2010 21:58

BULAWAYO’S five supply dams have received insignificant inflows, despite heavy rains that have been falling in and around the city since last month. However, two major dams in Matabeleland South, a province where the Bulawayo supply dams are situated, are reportedly spilling.

In an interview at the weekend, the Zimbabwe National Water Authority’s acting catchment manager for Mzingwane, Mr Stanley Nazombe, said two major dams, including Tuli-Makwe were filled to capacity and spilling.

The situation regarding Bulawayo’s dams, on the other hand could deepen fears that the water shedding schedule, which the Bulawayo City Council suspended without even implementing, would be put in place after all.

According to figures supplied by Mr Nazombe, Upper Ncema got the highest inflow of 12 percent, but the largest supply dam, Insiza’s level was reduced by 1,25 percent and is at 68,75 percent of its capacity.

The figures from Zinwa showed the status of the dams as at 16 December and these were being compared to figures released by the city council at the beginning of the month.

Mr Nazombe said the decommissioned Upper Ncema was now nine percent full, up from 2,23 percent. He said Umzingwane was 14 percent full. It was 3,32 percent full at the beginning of the month.

In suspending the water-shedding schedule on 7 December, Bulawayo’s director of engineering services, Engineer Simela Dube said the programme would be slightly delayed while inflows into the supply dams were being assessed.

He said water-shedding was an unpleasant measure of last resort that council only implemented in times of extreme crisis when there was no alternative to save water.

Eng Dube said it had many disadvantages that included inconvenience to residents and could cause damage to the water reticulation infrastructure in the city.

He said during times of water shedding, the sewer system started backfiring as less water went into it and sewer bursts became the order of the day.

Eng Dube said the programme would be put on hold until council assesses the inflows and determined that it really was the last resort.

Eng Dube appealed to residents to conserve water, to delay the necessity to water-shed.

The latest council report shows that the average daily water usage rate has risen to 151 486 cubic metres, from about 142 000 last month.

The report also states that following the decommissioning of Upper Ncema Dam on 5 September, the city’s demands had to be met by increased abstraction of water from Umzingwane by pumping.

However, the report showed that the pumping would result in the premature depletion of the dam.

Eng Dube said Umzingwane and Inyankuni Dams were set to be decommissioned in a few weeks if they do not get significant inflows from the rain that had started falling.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 December 2010 22:57

Labels: BULAWAYO, IRRIGATION, STANLEY NAZOMBE, ZIMBABWE NATIONAL WATER AUTHORITIES

posted by MrK @ 2:23 AM