Gweru Urban MP Brian Dube (MDC Alliance) has urged government to swiftly avail funds for desiltation of the city\u2019s largest water source, Gwenoro Dam as well as facilitate construction of alternative sources of the precious liquid.<\/p>\n
This follows revelations by the city council that the dam is left with only 30% water supplies and will be effectively decommissioned later this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cA report was done to the effect that the Gwenoro Dam is massively silted and, as a result, water reserves are terribly affected,\u201d Dube said.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, the dam is just 30% full and is to be decommissioned. The reason is that the dam cannot hold water because of siltation. Government should avail resources for desiltation
\nbefore the next rainy season,\u201d Dube said.<\/p>\n
He also called for the urgent construction of other water sources for the city, which can be relied upon in emergency situations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need a rapid response that includes construction of the Lubongo Dam as an additional water supply. We also urgently need construction of a water plant at Amapongokwe Dam, so that
\nthe city can switch to the water source as soon as Gwenoro is decommissioned in July,\u201d the MP said.<\/p>\n
He lambasted the slow pace by government in responding to the city\u2019s water crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe disappointment comes from the fact that although this poses a serious threat to over 300 000 lives, the government does not seem to be treating the issue with urgency,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe impending catastrophe needs serious commitment on resources. I will continue to lobby and pressure government<\/p>\n
Acting Gweru City Council finance director Owen Masimba recently said $6 million is required to construct a new treatment plant, which would be used to process water drawn from<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Gweru Urban MP Brian Dube (MDC Alliance) has urged government to swiftly avail funds for desiltation of the city\u2019s largest water source, Gwenoro Dam as well as facilitate construction of alternative sources of the precious liquid. This follows revelations by the city council that the dam is left with only 30% water supplies and will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":3079,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,8],"tags":[224,55,168,88,261,314],"class_list":{"0":"post-8416","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-community","9":"category-head-lines","10":"tag-council","11":"tag-government","12":"tag-gweru","13":"tag-mdc","14":"tag-parliment","15":"tag-water-shortage"},"yoast_head":"\n