Its very paradoxical to say while in bulawayo people are struggling to get drinking water in some parts of Manicaland water lodging is threating to destroy their houses .
In a snap survey conducted by this blog in manicaland , scores of people expressed their shock and disbelief that while their life is threated by heavy downpours that are a common phenomenon in Manicaland during this rain season their counterparts in bulawayo are struggling to get few drops of water .
"Anytime from now we can experience a heavy downpour to us its no longer a mystery , but a thing we must live to experience everyday' ,said a Mutare resident identified as Tanyaradzwa Nyamutswa .
Since October last year Manicaland region has recieved a minimum of 257mm per month and Agritex officials have confirmed that the situation is dare and if it continues it can affect crop production and even the infrastructure of the residents .
"Crops are being destroyed and some fragile houses are being uprooted , this situation needs immediate attention from our government" , remarked Manicaland Chief metereological officer ,Mr Artwell wikirefu.
However , some parts of matebeland such as Bulawayo people are going for days without water for domestic consumption .
"l bath myself once a week ,its normal here in the once city of king s" ,said Believe Ndou , a Cowdry park old man .
Meanwhile ,the head of Engineering department in the bulawayo city council Engineer Tamuka Gumbo has assured people that the city council in conjuction with the ministry of water are devising measures to curb the looming disaster .
"construction of zambezi water project is now at an advanced stage by May everything will be ok, " said Gumbo
Saturday, 23 March 2013
Monday, 18 March 2013
Bulawayo water woes critical
| Bulawayo water situation to worsen |
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| Saturday, 05 January 2013 18:26 |
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Vusumuzi Dube Municipal Correspondent BULAWAYO residents are set for a harsh year with revelations that the water situation in the city is likely to worsen with the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) already searching for alternative sources of water outside the Government initiated solutions. In an interview with Sunday News Bulawayo mayor, Councillor Thaba Moyo said there was no need to give residents false hope as the writing was on the wall that the water situation was not going to improve anytime soon. Clr Moyo said it was highly likely that water rationing and shedding would remain a permanent feature in the city, as the supply dams were not receiving significant inflows. “We have to look at this issue more broadly than we are currently doing, this is clearly a permanent crisis upon us and we must see that it is given the necessary focus because if we relax and wait for a solution to come to us, I tell you that we won’t be sincere as City Fathers. “As you might know we recently held a water summit where we resolved that we have to look at other ways to solve this crisis outside all those that have been suggested by Government,” said Clr Moyo. He said while the Government was still engrossed with completing the Mtshabezi-Umzingwane pipeline link project and the duplication of the Insiza pipeline, they would start developing their own solutions as the Government-initiated solutions were proving to be empty promises. “Right now we have agreed that the only way we can solve this issue is by harnessing our underground water, rather than looking far to get this water, in the coming year I will personally spearhead the drilling of more boreholes at the Nyamandlovu acquifer and also at Rochester. The truth is that we have to face this problem on our own because it is not a Government official based in Harare who suffers but it’s us who have to endure this water shortage on a daily basis,” said the mayor. Clr Moyo said they were tired of the excuses that were being made by the Minister of Water Resources, Management and Development Samuel Sipepa Nkomo over the Mtshabezi-Umzingwane project, thus their move to try to address the city’s water problems independently. “One thing that we are faced with is a 96-hour water shedding period that is likely to increase if we don’t get any significant rain, further on we honestly don’t see us cutting short this exercise because our water situation is critical, therefore, whether we like it or not we are in a crisis and thus have to ensure we come up with some form of solution before residents start condemning us,” he said. In the past, Minister Sipepa Nkomo has been attacked for failing the people of Matabeleland by dragging his feet and causing confusion in the implementation of water projects in the province. His ministry has been labelled the worst in Government. At one point the minister even proposed that BCC should consider recycling water from Khami Dam for domestic use, a suggestion that was vigorously thrown out by leaders from the regio |
Winter season dawns Zimbabwe
The chill atmosphere that characterises many mornings in zimbabwe is a clear sign that winter season is slowly approaching zimbabwe .
In a snap survey conducted by this author ,thousands of people confirmed that the chill conditions in the mornings these days are a clear sign that we are parting ways with the rain seasons despite the fact that in cities like bulawayo erratic rains were experienced .
"Its a thing that needs common sense , winter is approaching . You do not need to be a rocket scientist or be a degreed metereological officer'
In a snap survey conducted by this author ,thousands of people confirmed that the chill conditions in the mornings these days are a clear sign that we are parting ways with the rain seasons despite the fact that in cities like bulawayo erratic rains were experienced .
"Its a thing that needs common sense , winter is approaching . You do not need to be a rocket scientist or be a degreed metereological officer'
Friday, 15 March 2013
Urban Zimbabweans are already grappling with water shortages
© IRIN
JOHANNESBURG, 22 January 2013 (IRIN) - In spite of
the political and financial turmoil that Zimbabwe faces, the country
seems to be on the right track in adopting strategies to address the effects of climate change.
But these strategies tend to have a strong rural bias, overlooking the
fact that almost half of the country now lives in urban areas, according
to a joint review of the country's climate change response by a think tank and leading NGO.
Zimbabwe, like many other African countries, has begun to develop a national framework to respond to climate change, including efforts to identify authorities to process donor funds for mitigating and adapting to climate change, said one of the authors of the review, Shepard Zvigadza of ZERO Regional Environment Organization. [ http://www.climatenetwork.org/profile/member/zero-regional-environment-o... ]
However, as in most other African countries, policymakers and researchers "ignore longstanding urbanization trends and continue to overstate the proportion of Zimbabwe's population living in rural areas."
The ruling ZANU-PF party, which has dominated politics in Zimbabwe for decades, has been accused of appeasing their voters, who are largely rural, by developing policies that cater to them while disregarding urban residents.
Taking into account UN statistics, the authors suggested that almost 38 percent of Zimbabwe's population lives in urban areas, but the number could be as high as 50 percent if national assessments are considered.
Climate change adds to woes
Zimbabwe's urban transition is a lot more advanced than most countries in Southern Africa, and urban problems such as water scarcity - prompted by sparse rains and a dropping water table - are not getting the attention they deserve, Zvigadza told IRIN in an email.
"Research shows that the water table for boreholes used to be around 30m in the 1990s, but now water can be found around 60m or more below ground. This is true for cities like Bulawayo, whose water sources are various rivers. Such a situation has created long-term water and sanitation challenges, leading to health problems in cities like Chitungwiza and Kadoma," he added.
Following severe water shortages in Chitungwiza and Kadoma in 2012, outbreaks of typhoid and cholera were recorded. In 2008, the country experienced one of the worst cholera outbreaks recorded anywhere in recent times; the outbreak killed at least 4,000 people and infected 100,000 others.
The country's socioeconomic problems, combined with the effects of climate change, are likely to aggravate the situation in the coming years.
Zvigadza explained that, "obviously, there are some other socioeconomic factors like poor waste management and service delivery that are most likely to be at play, but climate change is going to worsen this situation. For example, in [the] water and sanitation situation, nearby flowing sewer water is more likely to contaminate fresh piped water if there is a broken pipe. Water reticulation infrastructure has now aged and cannot cope with the rising population. This means they can break at any time where there is too much water in the system as a result of flooding."
Evidence from climate change impact studies shows that Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, is going to experience heavy, frequent and prolonged rainfall leading to flash floods, said Zvigadza.
A broken health infrastructure that cannot cope with the rising urban population is yet another driver of a potential crisis. "The health facilities may fail to cope with this demand, and climate change as an added stressor is most likely to increase this urban population’s vulnerability," he added.
Adapting to climate change
The government should invest in the health, water and energy sectors to develop infrastructure that can adapt to climate variability, said Zvigadza.
Zimbabwe's development policies should be related to adaptation, such as promoting water harvesting techniques at the household level. Education on climate change should be initiated at primary schools to create awareness at an early age and help people prepare.
Zvigadza noted that the country "is obviously struggling financially", but there are "donors who are interested" in supporting the country, which "has advanced in its readiness to receive and use climate funds."
A number of NGOs and research organizations have begun to emphasize adaptation to climate change in their development projects, particularly in drought-prone rural areas, noted the review. A community-based adaptation project was piloted by the UN Development Programme in Zimbabwe, for example. A growing number of NGOs has also becoming involved in Zimbabwe's Climate Change Working Group, a leading civil society network.
While civil society has increasingly come under attack in the country for political reasons, Zvigadza said, "it has become obvious that climate change has not been politicized, thus civil society has been working and continues to work with communities without intimidation... Overall, what is only required is the sense of national belonging that is speaking with one non-partisan voice, and this has begun to happen.
Zimbabwe, like many other African countries, has begun to develop a national framework to respond to climate change, including efforts to identify authorities to process donor funds for mitigating and adapting to climate change, said one of the authors of the review, Shepard Zvigadza of ZERO Regional Environment Organization. [ http://www.climatenetwork.org/profile/member/zero-regional-environment-o... ]
However, as in most other African countries, policymakers and researchers "ignore longstanding urbanization trends and continue to overstate the proportion of Zimbabwe's population living in rural areas."
The ruling ZANU-PF party, which has dominated politics in Zimbabwe for decades, has been accused of appeasing their voters, who are largely rural, by developing policies that cater to them while disregarding urban residents.
Taking into account UN statistics, the authors suggested that almost 38 percent of Zimbabwe's population lives in urban areas, but the number could be as high as 50 percent if national assessments are considered.
Climate change adds to woes
Zimbabwe's urban transition is a lot more advanced than most countries in Southern Africa, and urban problems such as water scarcity - prompted by sparse rains and a dropping water table - are not getting the attention they deserve, Zvigadza told IRIN in an email.
"Research shows that the water table for boreholes used to be around 30m in the 1990s, but now water can be found around 60m or more below ground. This is true for cities like Bulawayo, whose water sources are various rivers. Such a situation has created long-term water and sanitation challenges, leading to health problems in cities like Chitungwiza and Kadoma," he added.
Following severe water shortages in Chitungwiza and Kadoma in 2012, outbreaks of typhoid and cholera were recorded. In 2008, the country experienced one of the worst cholera outbreaks recorded anywhere in recent times; the outbreak killed at least 4,000 people and infected 100,000 others.
The country's socioeconomic problems, combined with the effects of climate change, are likely to aggravate the situation in the coming years.
Zvigadza explained that, "obviously, there are some other socioeconomic factors like poor waste management and service delivery that are most likely to be at play, but climate change is going to worsen this situation. For example, in [the] water and sanitation situation, nearby flowing sewer water is more likely to contaminate fresh piped water if there is a broken pipe. Water reticulation infrastructure has now aged and cannot cope with the rising population. This means they can break at any time where there is too much water in the system as a result of flooding."
Evidence from climate change impact studies shows that Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, is going to experience heavy, frequent and prolonged rainfall leading to flash floods, said Zvigadza.
A broken health infrastructure that cannot cope with the rising urban population is yet another driver of a potential crisis. "The health facilities may fail to cope with this demand, and climate change as an added stressor is most likely to increase this urban population’s vulnerability," he added.
Adapting to climate change
The government should invest in the health, water and energy sectors to develop infrastructure that can adapt to climate variability, said Zvigadza.
Zimbabwe's development policies should be related to adaptation, such as promoting water harvesting techniques at the household level. Education on climate change should be initiated at primary schools to create awareness at an early age and help people prepare.
Zvigadza noted that the country "is obviously struggling financially", but there are "donors who are interested" in supporting the country, which "has advanced in its readiness to receive and use climate funds."
A number of NGOs and research organizations have begun to emphasize adaptation to climate change in their development projects, particularly in drought-prone rural areas, noted the review. A community-based adaptation project was piloted by the UN Development Programme in Zimbabwe, for example. A growing number of NGOs has also becoming involved in Zimbabwe's Climate Change Working Group, a leading civil society network.
While civil society has increasingly come under attack in the country for political reasons, Zvigadza said, "it has become obvious that climate change has not been politicized, thus civil society has been working and continues to work with communities without intimidation... Overall, what is only required is the sense of national belonging that is speaking with one non-partisan voice, and this has begun to happen.
Wednesday, 6 March 2013
In the city of bulawayo ,it is almost a norm now that deficit rain must be received from the sky . guys let us put strategies to make sure we correct this wrong . There several measures our government can do to solve water shortage in bulawayo and matebeleland at large , chief among them is the practise of cloud seeding using sulphur trioxide which im sure is not expensive than conditions which people are exposed to .
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