CHINHOYI – CHINHOYI’S decade-long water crisis, remains a stumbling block to the
growth of the town which is eyeing city status.
The water crisis has goaded the new council to organise a media tour of the water
treatment plants in the town, during which they highlighted more challenges than
solutions.
Speaking during the tour, Chinhoyi Director of Engineering Services, Engineer Simon
Marara, said the growth of the population has contributed to the water crisis.
“Chinhoyi now has a population of around 103 000 as of the recent census. Our water
demand is around 60 million litres a day than the capacities that we have. We run two
plants, new water treatment plant with a capacity of 10 million litres per day and old
water treatment plant has a capacity of 12 million litres per day, with mechanical
equipment we have deductions we end up having 18 to 19 million litres a day.
“Matching to the demand that we are seating on you, will see that already we have more
than 60 percent deficit. We are only able to cover a third of our demand. We host a
number of universities, among them our Chinhoyi University of Technology with a
population of plus 12 000. Our population will then increase being also the provincial
capital a lot of business is actually here, our population is even bigger,” said Engineer
Marara.
He undertook to combine boreholes in Alaska settlement into one pipeline feeding a
reservoir which they will treat before distributing it to the residents.
Chinhoyi Member of Parliament, Engineer Leslie Mhangwa, also noted some
challenges, which he promised to address during his term of office.
“Our biggest problem is capacity and, to some extent, old equipment. The old pumps
have been augmented by new one at the new waterworks. The system can improve to
some extent by refurbishing the current setup and plugging leaks but, overally, there is
need to upgrade the supply through expansion of the works,” said Engineer Mhangwa.
The tour was led by the new Mayo of Chinhoyi, Ward 6 Councillor Owen Charuza, who
said the aim of the tour was to have an appreciation of the water treatment plants in
Chinhoyi and map a way forward.
The town has two other pump stations – White City and Chidzuwi – which were
constructed by the Zimbabwe Mining Development Company servicing Alaska and
Sheckleton Mines which used to be under Makonde Rural District Council but is now
under Chinhoyi.
Chinhoyi Municipality once used one of the two pumps stations at Chidzuwi pool but
condemned it. White City ceased operating when the mines closed, which is more than
two decades ago.
Chinhoyi has one of the biggest man-made dams in Mashonaland West Province, Biri
Dam, which is the town’s main source of water and is currently 80 percent full.
