Council
authorities
say
the
situation
has
been
worsened
by
extensive
mining
activities
in
dam
catchment
areas
in
Matabeleland
South,
where
most
of
Bulawayo’s
water
sources
are
located.
On
Friday,
councillors,
engineers,
media
and
other
stakeholders
joined
a
Bulawayo
City
Council
(BCC)
inspection
tour
of
three
of
the
city’s
six
supply
dams,
Upper
Ncema,
Inyankuni
and
Mzingwane.
The
visit
revealed
widespread
mining
operations
close
to
the
reservoirs,
including
active
sites
using
large
water
bowsers
and
storage
tanks.
Residents
across
Bulawayo
continue
to
endure
prolonged
water
shedding,
with
some
suburbs
going
up
to
four
days
without
supply.
Bulawayo
Mayor
David
Coltart
has
repeatedly
raised
concerns
about
mining
in
catchment
areas,
warning
that
it
is
disrupting
water
inflows
into
the
dams
and
threatening
the
city’s
long-term
water
supply.
Council
figures
show
that
as
of
31
January
2026,
Bulawayo’s
operational
dams
were
only
48.35%
full,
a
level
officials
say
is
inconsistent
with
the
amount
of
rainfall
received
this
season.
Speaking
on
the
sidelines
of
the
tour,
BCC
Director
of
Engineering
Services
Sikhumbuzo
Ncube
described
the
situation
as
“dire”.
“We
last
experienced
this
level
of
rainfall
around
2017
or
2018.
By
the
end
of
January
then,
our
supply
dams
were
about
70%
full,”
he
said.
“Now,
despite
the
good
rains,
the
dam
levels
are
not
looking
good
at
all.”
Eng
Ncube
said
Upper
Ncema
Dam,
one
of
the
city’s
most
critical
reserves,
was
only
40%
full.
“This
is
the
dam
we
rely
on
most
when
the
others
dry
up.
Normally,
we
begin
drawing
from
it
around
August
or
September,
but
at
this
rate
we
are
not
sure
it
will
have
sufficient
capacity,”
he
said.
He
added
that
addressing
the
problem
would
require
cooperation
among
all
stakeholders,
including
mining
interests.
“We
have
seen
the
extent
of
digging
in
the
catchment
areas.
Decisions
around
this
cannot
be
made
by
one
person.
All
stakeholders
need
to
come
together
to
discuss
how
best
to
protect
the
environment
and
ensure
adequate
water
for
Bulawayo,”
he
said.
The
chairperson
of
the
council’s
Future
Water
Committee,
Councillor
Khalazani
Ndlovu,
said
the
inspection
had
highlighted
the
scale
of
the
disruption
affecting
the
city’s
water
sources.
“After
such
a
good
rainy
season,
we
had
hoped
to
ease
water
shedding,
but
the
dam
levels
are
worrying,”
he
said.
“Our
residents
are
currently
on
a
96-hour
water
shedding
schedule.
If
we
reduce
the
shedding
hours
now,
we
may
fail
to
make
it
to
the
next
rainy
season.”
She
described
Upper
Ncema
as
the
city’s
most
important
reserve,
adding:
“At
40%,
it
is
simply
not
where
it
should
be.
It
is
a
serious
concern
for
Bulawayo.”