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Freedom Mupanedemo

Midlands Bureau

GWERU city council has acquired three more water pumps to be installed at the city water works, but warned the water rationing regime that has been going on will not be immediately lifted.

The local authority introduced a tight water rationing schedule last year, citing the low pumping capacity and dwindling water levels at the city supply dam, Gwenoro.

Resultantly, some suburbs in high-lying areas such as Mkoba 18 and 19, have been receiving water once a week.

However, the rains that have been received countrywide resulted in most dams, including Gwenoro, spilling, raising hopes of Gweru residents that the water situation would improve soon.

In an interview yesterday, Gweru city council spokesperson, Ms Vimbai Chingwaramusee, confirmed the acquisition of three water pumps in a bid to increase the pumping capacity. The new pumps will bring to six the number of pumps to be used to supply water to the Gweru community.

“With the current pumps, we were only able to pump 30 percent of the total demand for the city, but with three more pumps now available, it means our pumping capacity will improve,” said Ms Chingwaramusee.

“This, however, does not mean we will suspend the water rationing schedule.”

Ms Chingwaramusee said the city’s supply dam was now full, but they were still monitoring the water levels in the dam before suspending the water rationing programme.

“We still want to preserve water which is a basic right for every resident so we want to monitor the water levels before we could suspend the water rationing,” she said.

Ms Chingwaramuseee said Gweru required at least eight pumps to ensure constant water supply in the city.

“Out of a possible eight we now have six pumps so the water situation will obviously improve, but the rationing will continue,” she said.