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By Richard Kawazi
Bindura residents can finally breathe a sigh of relief after the Zimbabwe National Authority (ZINWA) confirmed that the town’s main water source, Mwenje Dam, had spilled.
Of late, residents have endured tap water shortages that hit most suburbs in Bindura. The recent heavy rains received in Mashonaland Central and the rest of the country have made the dam reach full capacity.
According to ZINWA, the dam reached full capacity and has been spilling since January 16.
Due to the heavy rainfall, Bindura’s main water supply, Mwenje Dam, has been at full capacity and spilling since January 16.
ZINWA Mazowe catchment Corporate Communications and Marketing Officer, Nicholas Mukarakate told Nhau/Indaba that the spilling will improve the quality of water for residents.
He said the current water shortages experienced in Bindura could also be attributed to activities by artisanal miners which weighed heavily on the Municipality.
“The dam’s spilling brings relief to Bindura town as the excess water flowing down the river will help improve the quality of the water used at the Bindura Municipality water treatment plants. Of late, the Mazowe river system has been heavily affected by alluvial mining activities, making water treatment costly for the local authority.”
“The situation has seen Bindura town effecting water rationing measures due to the high cost of chemicals used to purify the water,” he said.
Bindura Town Council and Fredda Rebecca Mine have in the recent past been considering switching from Mwenje Dam to the nearby Masembura Dam for their raw water requirements due to water quality concerns.
However, Mukarakate indicated that it was more expensive to draw water from Masembura Dam to Bindura because of the mountain range that lies along the route of the proposed water supply pipeline.
He said drawing from Mwenje Dam was sustainable as the water flows through the force of gravity when released.
Mwenje Dam has a capacity of 36, 117ML of water and was constructed in the 1970s for irrigation, mining and drinking water supply to Bindura and surrounding areas.
The dam lies on the Mwenje River, a tributary of Murodzi River, which drains into the Mazowe River system.
Meanwhile, Chipadze residents around Dandazi and Musvosvi areas have gone without water for five days.
Glendale ward 17 has also gone without water since January 3 and a special meeting between ZESA, ZINWA and the residents has been scheduled for January to map the way forward. Nhau/Indaba
