Talk about a city left high and dry. Bulawayo's major reservoirs are sitting at less than half capacity, a stark contrast to most of the nation's nearly full dams. Key water sources for the city, like Inyankuni, Umzingwane, and both Ncema dams, are critically low despite rainfall elsewhere.
This deficit persists because the catchment areas in Matabeleland South province are not receiving adequate inflow. Compounding the problem, illegal gold mining operations wreck riverbeds near Upper Ncema, Inyankuni, and Umzingwane dams. These activities threaten future water collection regardless of precipitation.
Authorities conduct regular patrols, arresting miners and confiscating equipment like detector machines. The Bulawayo City Council...