THE Bulawayo City Council (BCC)’s water and sanitation department has discovered a potential aquifer located near the Hope Fountain Mission site in Matobo amid hope that it could be a breakthrough for its supplies.
The new find comes as residents have been under a 120-hour water shedding due to reduced supplies.
Recent council minutes showed that there is optimism the water source would be a substantial contributor to the city’s water supplies.
According to the report, initial investigations indicated that the Matobo aquifer held significant promise as a new source of fresh groundwater.
“Early estimates suggested that the aquifer's potential yield could reach 40 megalitres per day,” read the minutes.
The report further indicated that a potential partner had approached BCC with a proposal for groundwater abstraction from the Matobo aquifer.
It further reported that the initiative aligned perfectly with the multi-pronged strategy to secure sustainable water sources for Bulawayo.
“Project proposal included a groundwater booster station that will be established near Hope Fountain to extract water from the aquifer; holding tanks will be constructed to store the extracted groundwater,” the minutes read.
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“A solar farm will be incorporated to power the project's operations, promoting sustainability and reducing reliance on the already strained electricity grid and a dedicated pipeline will be installed to convey the extracted raw water to the Criterion Raw Water Reservoir for treatment and distribution.”
Council further suggested that a collaboration with the Zimbabwe National Water Authority makes it easy to obtain the necessary permits while ensuring responsible management of the aquifer.
The water and sanitation department was tasked to actively investigate land ownership of the proposed project area.
The department was also tasked to secure access to land for the pumping station, solar farm, and pipeline servitude which are essential for project execution.
Bulawayo is facing serious water problems with the city council rationing consumers for 120 hours.
Government has also revealed that it is working with BCC to ensure the water challenges being experienced in the city are resolved.
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, who is also leader of government business in Parliament, told the House that Cabinet agreed to start with Bulawayo and move to other cities.
