By Munyaradzi Musiiwa Midlands Correspondent
A potential water disaster is looming in Gweru amid indications that main potable water supplier, Gwenhoro Dam, is now at 18 percent capacity and the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) is on the verge of decommissioning the main water source.
The dire situation has been worsened by the local authority\u2019s failure to secure over $5 million to purchase new water pumps that could be installed at Amapongobge Dam, which is an alternative.
If the local authority fails to source water pumps for Amapongobge, the city could face a serious water disaster.
Only last year water woes caused the typhoid outbreak which left eight residents dead with over 2 000 requiring medical attention.
The city has since introduced water rationing after the pumping capacity dropped to 20 megalitres a day against the city\u2019s demand of 60 megalitres, which has resulted in areas such as Mkoba 14 and Ascot suburbs going for weeks without water.
Speaking during a full council meeting last week, Ward 17 councillor Farai Muza said the water levels at Gwenhoro Dam were now critical adding that Zinwa had indicated that it will soon decommission the city\u2019s major source of water.
\u201cWe are very worried that Zinwa is now going to decommission Gwenhoro Dam.
\u201cThis is serious and we need to start considering other options. We need the committee responsible for that to come up with stop-gap measures to address the water challenges,\u201d he said.
Gweru Mayor Cllr Josiah Makombe said the city\u2019s alternative water source Amapongobge required five pumps for it to meet the city\u2019s daily demand.
Cllr Makombe said Amapongobge had only one pump which was functional, and had no capacity to sustain the city.
\u201cWater levels at Gwenhoro Dam are now at 18 percent. This is a disaster. At the moment we have introduced water rationing because we are only able to pump 20 megalitres a day.
\u201cThere is need for council to act fast and address this problem,\u201d he said.
Gweru Town Clerk Ms Elizabeth Gwatipedza said financial constrains were hampering council\u2019s efforts to address the persisting water challenges.
\u201cWhen we enquired sometime back, a single water pump was costing US$750 000 and we wanted to purchase four.
\u201cWe only received $400 000 from Government for the procurement of those pumps and it is not enough. Probably now each costs $5 million.
\u201cWe engaged partners and financiers such as IDBZ, but they have told us that they were incapacitated to give us such huge sums of money, but said they could give us money to sink commercial boreholes,\u201d she said.
Ms Gwatipedza said Unki Mine had agreed to lease the local authority a water pump while they had also approached Mimosa Mine for help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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