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Dam water levels continue on a  steady rise on the back of the rains being received in different parts  of the country and improved river flows, the Zimbabwe National Water Authority  has said.

In an update, Zinwa corporate communications and marketing manager Marjorie Munyonga said as of Monday, the national dam level average had risen to 49,2 percent reflecting an 0,88 percent improvement from  January 13.

“Gwayi Catchment has a dam level average of 43,5 percent, Manyame Catchment 74,1 percent, Mazowe Catchment 76,5 percent, Mzingwane 45,6 percent, Runde 39,9 percent, Sanyati 48,9 percent and Save 53, 7 percent. The national dam level average, however, remains lower than the 64,2 percent expected during this period of the year,” she said.

Mrs Munyonga said Zinwa had also noted an improvement in flows in the Zambezi, Limpopo, Save, Odzi, Runde, Devure, Pungwe, Musengezi and Mazowe Rivers.

“These improvements in the river flows and dam levels bring relief to a significant number of areas that have been water stressed in recent weeks,” she said.

Zimbabwe has been experiencing shortages of electricity due to reduced generating capacity at Kariba Dam owing to low water levels drought.

Regardless of the recorded improvements, Mrs Munyonga reiterated that water remained a finite resource which needed to be managed quite efficiently and sparingly.

“Water users across the board are therefore encouraged to practise water conservation, which will help stretch the limited available water resources longer and also assist users in keeping their bills down.

“The authority also implores all those using water from Zinwa-managed dams to ensure that their use is in accordance with the provisions of the Water Act, which them to have water abstraction agreements entered into with Zinwa,” she said.

Meanwhile, Zinwa is working to improve access to potable water by rural communities in water stressed areas by rehabilitating boreholes.

“To this end, the authority has successfully rehabilitated 109 boreholes in water-stressed districts of Buhera, Chipinge, Rushinga,  Mwenezi, Chivi and Nyanga. The target is to repair and bring back to functionality 933 boreholes in the seven provinces of Mashonaland East, Manicaland, Masvingo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South and the Midlands,” said Munyonga. – New Ziana.