Masvingo Bureau
MASVINGO City is seeking US$45 million to build a new water system to avert looming shortages caused by increasing population in the city. Council wants to build a completely new water pumping, conveyance and storage infrastructure with a

capacity to pump and transport 30 mega litres per day.
This, council argues, will meet surging demand for water in the city. Masvingo mayor Alderman Femius Chakabuda, yesterday said the entire water works system in

Masvingo needed completely new facilities if water shortages are to besolved.
Alderman Chakabuda said council will soon approach Government for borrowing powers to raise the US$45 million.
“We need to build a completely new water works system in the city because the system that we currently have is now old and outdated and can no longer meet the city’s demands for water say in the coming few years.

“We need to build a new water purification station, new storage tanks and water conveyance pipes and all that will chew up about US$45million.
“Council will soon be approaching Government for borrowing powers to raise the money because we have no other source to get the money that is required for the projects,’’ he said.

Ald Chakabuda said if the US$45 million water augmentation project was not started, it will be difficult for council to expand the city from its current size as there will be no water to service new areas.
“As the water situation in the city stands right now, we cannot expand the city anymore because there won’t be any water for those new areas.

“The water, which is being pumped by the city right now is not even enough for the current population and unless we expand our water works we will not be able to expand the city anymore,’’ said Ald Chakabuda.

The mayor said the water works system in the city serves a population of about 35 000 yet estimates put the city’s current population at 100 000 residents.
The water pumping capacity at the city’s Bush Mead waterworks plant is 24 mega litres per day and Ald Chakabuda says the figure will increase to 30 mega litres per day before the end of this month.

Ald Chakabuda says council intends to reach pumping capacity of 60 mega litres per day.
Masvingo draws its water from Lake Mutirikwi, Zimbabwe’s largest inland water body and the city is always blighted by water shortages despite plenty of the commodity in the idle water reservoir.