Ngqwele Dube
Abantu abanengi bathi umnyaka ka2024 ububathwalise amagabha avuzayo ngokusilela kwamanzi njalo bathi bakhulekela ukuthi isimo siguquke ngomnyaka ozayo.
Isisekelo sombuso weZimbabwe sithi kulilungelo lakhe wonke umuntu ukuthi athole amanzi aneleyo futhi ahlanzekileyo.
Kodwa ukoma komkhathi okuphehlwe yisikhudumezi seEl-Nino kutshiye izigidi lezigidi zabantu emaphandleni lasemadolobheni zingelamanzi.
Edolobheni lakoBulawayo udubo lolu luphoqe umasipala ukuthi atholise izakhamizi amanzi okwelanga elilodwa kuphela ngeviki kulandela ukutsha kwamadamu abalisa eleUpper leLower Ncema kanye leleMzingwane.
Ngelanga, idolobho leli lidinga amanzi angena kuma-megalitres alikhulu elilamatshumi ayisithupha lanhlanu, 165 megalitres, kodwa umasipala wenelisa ukupompa ama-megalitre angamatshumi ayisitshiyagalolunye, 90 megaliters kuphela.
Sikhuluma nje abahlali abanengi sebephila ngokukha amanzi ezikotsho lasemithojeni engavikelekanga, okulakho ukubangela imikhuhlane efana loweCholera.
Umhlali weLobengula West uNkosikazi Mulape Mbela uthi sebelanyanga ezintathu kusiya kwezine bengela manzi avela kumasipala. Ngokunjalo, uthi bakha amanzi agobhoza egangeni lanxa bekunanzelela ukuthi engabagulisa.
“Lapho esihlala khona kuqansile kakhulu so vele amanzi awafiki. Sinatha khonapha daily lezinja laba gezayo sinatha labo lapha”
UMnu Peter Matako ohlala eOld Lobengula laye uthi isimo samanzi sisezingeni elibi.
“Ungahlala unganathanga amanzi uyaphila ngani. Akulamanzi akulani, amagetsi akula. Abuya every Friday kodwa kwesinye iskhathi ahlala two weeks engabuyanga.”
Ezinye izakhamizi zakoBulawayo zithi zibone kungcono ukuthi zifakise amatanka amakhulu ezindlini ukuze zigcwalise amanzi lapho avulwa khona.
Omunye wazo nguNkosikazi Pamela Chitonho ohlala elokitshini leOld Luveve.
“Amanzi awakho, bekungasela okunye esingakuyenza ngphandle kokuvukela esbhoraneni, sabona kungcono ukuthi sifakise ijojo tank sigcine amanzi esizawasebenzisa nxa kungela empompini. Besesikhathele ngokuvukela esibhoraneni”
Umeya wakoBulawayo uMnu David Coltart utshele iStudio 7 ukuthi amanzi akhona okwamanje emadamu alelidolobho ayisilinganiso samatshumi amabili lanhlanu kuphela ekhulwini, 25 percent. Uthi kulemizamo eminengi abayenzayo yokulungisisa udubo lwamanzi.
“Sibona kungcono ukuqelisa amagodi eNyamandlovu aquifer ukwenzela ukuthi akhiphe amanzi amanengi ngoba sithola amalutshwane kuwo, sifuna lokuyakha iGlassblock Dam. IGwayi Shangani Dam yona izathatha isikhathi ukwakhiwa ngoba ifuna imali ecishe ibhillion”
Ukuguquka komkhathi okuphehla ukusilela kwezulu, ukwenjiwa kwegolide ezifuleni, ukugqibeleka kwamadamu lokungakhiwa kwamadamu amatsha eminyakeni engamatshumi amathathu edluleyo, 30 years, ngokunye okubikwa kudlondlobalisa udubo lwamanzi koBulawayo.
Uhlelo lweZambezi Water Project ngolunye lwamacebo abikwa elakho ukuqeda loludubo njalo uhulumende uphakathi kokwakha idamu leGwayi-Shangani kodwa lusamile okwamanje loluhlelo ngoba uhulumende engelamali.
Abahlali bedolobho leGweru labo bathi bahlutshwa ngamanzi kakhulu lonyaka loba nje amadamu abo abalisa eleGwenoro leleAmapongobwe elamanzi aneleyo. Umasipala uthi udubo yikusilela kwamagetsi.
UNkosikazi Sikhanyisiwe Lunga uthi abesifazana basengozini yokubanjwa ngamasela kulelidolobho ngoba behamba imango emide ukuyadinga amanzi.
"Indawo abahamba kuzo besiya dinga amanzi zikhatshana of which sokuyingozi especially ebantwini besifazana kakhulu bacina bephenduka ntambama kucina kubangela ingozi ngoba bacina bebanjwa ngamasela"
Usodolobho weGweru uMnu Martin Chivhoko utshele iStudio 7 ukuthi sebecabanga ukusungula uhlelo lokudonsa amanzi besebenzisa amandla elanga, i-solar, njengoba amagetsi ehlala engekho.
"Amanzi sesilawo kodwa okusihluphayo yikuswelakala kwamagetsi okwenza sehluleke ukuwapompa afike ebantwini. Amagetsi nxa ekhona siyenelisa ukupompa 64 megalitres ayenela abantu."
EHarare lakho udubo lwamanzi soluleminyaka lukhona ngezizatho ezitshiyeneyo ezigoqela ukwehluleka kuka masipala ukuwahlambulula ukuze asebenziseke. Lokhu sokuke kwadala umkhulane we-cholera obulale abantu abanengi eminyakeni edluleyo.
UMnu. Thulani Dube ngumhlali walelidolobho.
"I-challenge ekhona enkulu yidistribution kodwa amanzi akhona. Ezinye indawo aziwatholi ilakhulu ama old suburbs ama pipe lawana ayadubuka vele abantu abasatholi amanzi ukuthi si resorte to borehole water kumbe imthombo yonaleyi that's the issue eyenzi ukuthi icholera ingapheli ikakhulu eHarare".
Inengi lithi likhulekela ukuthi izulu line kakhulu ligcwalise amadamu emadolobheni atshiyeneyo lasemaphandleni ukuze udubo lwamanzi lube yimbali kungenwa nje emnyakeni omutsha oka2025.
Esethula uluhlu lwendleko zikahulumende, i-budget yomnyaka ozayo, umphathintambo wezemali uMnu Mthuli Ncube uhlele iZiG 2 billion athi izasetshenziswa kunhlelo zokwakha amadamu lokutholisa uzulu amanzi ngomnyaka ozayo.