1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. BACKGROUND

Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, with a population of around 763.670 and 139 988 properties. The City is located in a drought-prone region and the water shortage problems are perennial with weather patterns characterised by low rainfall compounded by seasonal annual droughts. The El Niño and LA Niña effects together with climate change have affected the rainfall patterns in the region. This has called upon the city and the citizens to adopt resilient strategies in a bid to optimise the water supply for the city in each season. Water conservation has become a culture and way of life in Bulawayo with the council and citizens recognising that water is a finite resource that needs to be conserved. The City has implemented water rationing permanently since 1984.

Bulawayo City Council endeavours that it meets the Sustainable development Goal (SDG) Six of providing residents with clean water and sanitation as well as SGD 11, which is the creation of sustainable cities and communities. However, the City has experienced a drought, from 2018 rain-season to current, a back to back dry-spell that has not been experienced since the severe drought of 1992. In responding to the drought, water shedding has been progressively reviewed, starting with a 48-hour schedule in February 2019, and by Monday the 27th of April 2020, a 120-hour shedding program is being introduced city-wide. The City is currently on a 144 hour water shedding regime with effect from Monday 18th of May 2020

The built-up areas of Bulawayo have increased resulting in a serious strain on the existing infrastructure services such as water supply and sanitation. In addition, the current Covid-19 epidemic has come at a time when resources were already stretched.

1.2. PRESENT SITUATION

A number of residents in high lying areas across the City now receive water only at night or no water at all when Council resorts to water shedding, which have seen households going for six (6) days without water when the 144-hour shedding programme was introduced. When restoring water supply in a suburb, it is the low-placed areas that receive it first, by gravity, before the high lying areas. As a result, other consumers have little or no access to water and have to wait for two-three days of closure when another shedding cycle ends. Due to the nature of the network and geographical location, since water is now being restored for just 24-hours, it is inadequate to supply every household in a zone before supply is switched off-again to resume another shedding cycle.

Water bowsers have been ferrying water to affected suburbs. Some of the challenges with bowser points have been; turn-around time per site (3-4 hours) and lack of practising social distancing by residents. In response to these challenges, the City is installing water kiosks in the form of JoJo tanks in selected strategic areas to serve 6,099 affected properties. The Water kiosks are expected to improve turn-around time, there-by enabling more areas to be covered, reducing waiting time and improve social distancing. On the other hand, rehabilitation of fifty (50) hand-pumps (boreholes) is being explored (subject to funding) to improve access to water to an additional 5,000 households

The main problems of the affected areas are:

1. Low pressure.
2. Densely populated.
3. Old infrastructure – weakened by frequent opening-and closing during water shedding.
4. Non-practicing of social distancing at Bowser points.

2. WATER KIOSKS

Twenty-five (25) sites that comprise of 6,099 affected properties have been identified as the proposed points where the water tanks will be erected as shown below;