Bulawayo water supply remains unstable – City Council
BULAWAYO City Council (BCC) has said its water supply remains unstable following a technical fault encountered at the Umzingwane water supply system and the Nyamandlovu aquifer.
In a statement released yesterday, town clerk Christopher Dube said measures were being taken to restore normal water supply.
“The City of Bulawayo would like to advise residents and stakeholders that following the recent restart of the Umzingwane water supply system, we encountered a technical challenge involving the protection system of the pumping station,” Dube said.
“This system is designed to safeguard electrical equipment by automatically switching off power during faults. However, in this instance, it has been prematurely cutting off power, preventing the system from operating as intended.
“To restore partial functionality, a temporary bypass of the protection system has been done and this has allowed one of the pumps at Umzingwane to operate under strict safety monitoring. The city will continue working to implement a permanent solution and ensure system stability.”
He said the Cowdray Park booster pump station from the Nyamandlovu aquifer also experienced power supply interruptions due to a fault that occurred on Friday.
“Power has since been restored, and pumping has resumed. The City’s water supply remains unstable, although restoration of supplies has started in some areas as per the 130-hour water-shedding schedule,” he said.
“High lying areas continue to be affected due to low reservoir levels and low water pressure. To alleviate the impact on residents, the city has deployed water bowsers to distribute water to the most affected communities.”
