Gwayi-Shangani Dam works resume

Zim Now Writer

The resumption of work on the construction of the Gwayi-Shangani Dam, which had been suspended over unavailability of funds, has brought many smiles to many in the whole Matabeleland region.

Construction, which requires about US$8 million monthly, resumed after Treasury released more funds with the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) saying the completion of the dam which will end the city’s water crisis.

BCC officials, including Town Clerk the construction works which now have 39 metres of the dam completed against a target of 72 metres.

The construction of the Gwayi-Shangani Dam, which is expected to be completed by June 2023, will be fulfilment of a century old Matabeleland-Zambezi Water Project dream to provide a permanent solution to Bulawayo’s water problems.

The completion is also set to transform the livelihoods of not only Bulawayo residents but also those of people from the entire Matabeleland region.

Dube said the work that has been done so far gives hope that Bulawayo, introduced a 72-hour water shedding programme to conserve water owing to the low levels of its supply, will solve the city’s perennial water woes.

“What I saw is tremendous progress in implementing this project and that gives me a lot of comfort that Bulawayo water woes will be a thing of the past,” said Dube.

Several other challenges, including pipe bursts, had compromised the water shedding schedule BCC had come up with, to the displeasure of residents of the country’s second city.

Bulawayo has experienced water supply problems for decades with the local authority and government coming up with a coterie of measures to arrest the challenges.

The Gwayi-Shangani water project is part of the ambitious Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project that is being undertaken in the arid Matabeleland North Province.

The completion of the Gwai-Shangani Dam, the water pipeline and the Nyamandlovu Aquifer projects, is expected to provide the city with 20 million litres of water daily.