TONDERAI SAHARO
MASVINGO CITY-Portable water supply situation has greatly improved in Masvingo City owing to the local authority’s robust management system, which has seen the precious liquid now reaching all the areas under its jurisdiction.
In recent years, the local authority was losing a lot of treated water due to pipe leakages along routes from the main water treatment plant, the Bushmead Water Works down to the city’s sole water reservoir tanks in Hillside.
This resulted in the local authority failing to fill up the water tanks and residential areas particularly those in high ground areas being heavily affected, sometimes going for days without the precious liquid.
The situation would be made worse during electricity outages as water treatment and pumping will be stalled at the water works.
Parts of Rhodene, Mucheke and Runyararo West were the most affected by the developments.
However the situation has changed for the rate payers as residents now receive the water daily albeit for a maximum of at least six hours.
“The situation has greatly improved, we used to go for weeks without water running out of our tapes, but now we are having it daily and we are grateful to our city fathers,” said Emmanuel Zivuku, a Runyararo west resident.
Currently the city is producing an average of 30 mega liters a day against a daily demand of 60 mega liters, with a third of the treated water being lost due to leakages.
As part of measures to increase the availability of water in the city, Mayor Alec Tabe said the local authority invested heavily in the maintenance of old pipes along the Bushmead Water line to curb the leakages.
Mayor Tabe added that the situation will greatly improve once the city secures a partner in financing the much-anticipated multi million water argumentation phase two project.
Upon completion, council will increase its pumping capacity from the current 30 to 68 megaliters
“We were having challenges with non revenue water which was being lost along the way and our engineers worked flat out to minimise the loss.
“That’s why the situation seems to have improved as we are now able to fill up the water reservoir tanks making it possible for water to reach most areas.
“A permanent solution to the problem is on site as we have begun modalities to embark on a private public partnership (PPP) for possible financing such that we begin our phase two water augmentation project and increase our pumping capacity,” he said.
